5 Manchester United players who Louis van Gaal should not have sold

The well-renowned Dutch manager took over the club in 2014 after David Moyes failed to live up to expectations. Under him, the team prospered in his first season but soon fell behind the pack and faltered over the next few until he was sacked.

During his tenure, he was involved as massive changes took place within the club. Players who had been first-team regulars under Sir Alex Ferguson, suddenly found themselves missing out on the starting line-up and even dropped from the matchday squad altogether. This left many players frustrated and some of them were eventually sold.

Since then, many critics have questioned the reasons for selling such a huge number of players in a short time-span. Despite van Gaal's own managerial style and his viewpoint on players' capabilities to perform under him, their skills and overall ability could have brought Manchester United to greater heights in future years as opposed to a decline.

With that in mind then, here are a look at five players which van Gaal made a mistake in selling when he did.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and they do not necessarily represent the views of Sportskeeda.

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#5 Jonny Evans

Jonny Evans could be available for just £3m this summer

The Northern Ireland international spent a long period of his career playing for Manchester United after emerging from their youth side. Over his years at Old Trafford, he made close to 200 appearances and won three Premier League titles.

Unfortunately after van Gaal's appointment, Evans fell out of favour and was deemed surplus to requirements in his side. Following his move to West Brom in 2015, the centre-back impressed during his first two seasons - but the club's poor form has meant that they are in serious danger of relegation from England's top-flight with only three league fixtures left to battle against the drop.

The veteran defender, now 30, remains highly sought-after, attracting interest from other English sides including Arsenal and former side Manchester United.

Sir Alex personally expressed his shock following Evans' sale as he regarded the defender as the best in the country. Currently, he's still one of the best centre-backs across the Premier League but is unlikely to return to Old Trafford as he'd be inclined to explore pastures new instead during the summer transfer window.

United are looking to further strengthen their backline ahead of the new campaign and in hindsight, letting Evans go was a costly mistake by van Gaal.

#4 Patrice Evra

Patrice Evra has returned to England's top-flight, having joined on a surprise deal earlier this year

Patrice Evra spent close to eight years playing at Old Trafford, from 2006 to 2014, where he tallied over 350 appearances across all competitions. Sir Alex couldn't speak highly enough about the French fullback for his leadership qualities, regarding him as one of Europe's best left-backs.

Unfortunately though, his time in Manchester was numbered once van Gaal took charge. His deal to join Serie A champions Juventus in 2014 was a surprise, not least having signed a one-year contract extension to remain with the Red Devils.

Evra became a large success in Turin and helped Juventus add more domestic success to their ever-increasing collection. Upon his arrival, Jose Mourinho questioned the decision to allow Evra's departure and while he turns 37 later this month, the physically strong defender continues to play in one of Europe's most fierce leagues and is doing so under former boss David Moyes, ironically.

#3 Rafael da Silva

Rafael now plays for Lyon after a long spell with United

Ryan Giggs named Rafael as one of the three players that Manchester United should not have sold. The Brazilian full-back spent over seven years with the club, winning three Premier League titles in the process.

He finally spoke about his abrupt departure from the moment van Gaal was introduced as their new manager and it's definitely upsetting to know the side seemingly no longer needed his service.

At Lyon in Ligue 1, he has established himself as a first-team regular and currently wishes to remain for further seasons to come. The right-back is proficient in dribbling whilst his passing and overall distribution to team-mates has also improved as he's matured.

After a memorable stint in England, United fans continue to admire and love the Brazilian now - showing why he, as one of their favourite players, should not have been sold.

#2 Angel di Maria

Di Maria has been superb since joining PSG

His lucrative switch remains one of the greatest mysteries of all-time and was widely regarded as an expensive mistake too. di Maria joined Manchester United from Real Madrid in the summer of 2014 and signed a five-year deal, becoming one of the most expensive transfers of all-time. A year later though, he left and moved on to Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.

His time at Old Trafford had a severe impact on his reputation, fans were unhappy with his inconsistent performances and worldwide, his world-class capabilities were being questioned.

The creative Argentine himself was not happy during this period of time either, as he blamed the manager for playing him out of position and thus, not getting the best out of him.

Following his move to France, he flourished and has been back to his best too. Recently, he has been in superb form and even reportedly attracted interest from Real's close rivals Barcelona.

This term, he has netted 21 goals and created 15 assists in 42 appearances. These numbers are in contrast to his inconsistent spell in England's top-flight, it must be stressed.

It remains to be seen whether di Maria would have been a superb signing if deployed in his preferred position for United. However, van Gaal wasted the opportunity to see him shine and ultimately left him unhappy too. If there had been more trust shown in his ability, he would've undoubtedly been a great boost for the club's attacking prowess.

#1 Wilfried Zaha

Zaha has attracted attention from big clubs again, years after departing United

Back in 2013, Wilfried Zaha made headlines after sealing a £15m move to Manchester United - having impressed at Selhurst Park. However, his tenure in the north East was short-lived and the player himself admitted that he wasted his opportunity to prove doubters wrong.

Following a superb season with Crystal Palace where the player has matured and continued to develop further, Zaha is now back on the radar with many top sides interested in signing him.

A few years ago, the youngster was clearly out-of-favour with David Moyes. Things didn't improve once van Gaal was appointed, either.

The pacey winger has become a huge threat to many opponents and is now a star player under Roy Hodgson in south London. The main issue behind his failed move at United was perhaps both impatience and a lack of opportunities to play regularly.

Rio Ferdinand attributed Zaha's unimpressive stint to the latter factor, which was caused by David Moyes. Now at the prime age of 25, fans are regretting the fact Zaha left so soon and crucially, it was a mistake on van Gaal's part to sanction the deal.