Top 5 footballers who were underused at Manchester United, but made it big elsewhere

Manchester United are one of the few clubs that give their under performing players a second bite at the cherry. They have a fairly lax transfer policy when it comes to these players, with the club doing their best to get their money's worth.

And yet, there have been several instances when the club had no choice other than to let the hook off some players. Here is a look at the top 5 players who were either bench warmers or couldn't live from hand to mouth during their stint at United.

5. Morgan Schneiderlin

The Frenchman came into a United side that was in hot pursuit for an ideal replacement for the perennial Michael Carrick. The former Southampton star was fresh from his exploits with the Saints, initially promoting them to first division and gradually becoming their mainstay in the midfield.

His 2013-14 season, which credited him with the most tackles, interceptions and work rate in the League left United fans licking their lips, but the unprecedented revival of Carrick's career left him fighting for a place in the side.

Carrick's composure and the vision in his passing found him in Mourinho's good books over Schneiderlin and he was eventually sold to Everton for £22 million. Ever since his move to Everton, the former Saints star has been getting more playing time and he has been rediscovering his old touch.

4. Danny Drinkwater

Leicester City v West Bromwich Albion - Premier League

That DD is a Manchester lad would amaze many. He is one of the few players of its academy that United simply let go, with no idea of the potent within. The diminutive midfielder was transferred to Leicester in 2012 for an undisclosed fee. He was at the helm of things as Leicester was transferred to the top flight in 2015.

The midfield trio of Kante, Mahrez and Drinkwater was weaving the web that would help the club win the Premier league, the year of its promotion itself and was also one of the few bright spots for Leicester in a lackluster 2016-17 season.

On 1 September 2017, Drinkwater signed for Premier League champions Chelsea on a five-year contract, where he would go onto rekindle his partnership with Kante.

3. Shinji Kagawa

Borussia Dortmund v Tottenham Hotspur - UEFA Champions League

The wonder boy from Japan joined United on a 4 year deal after 2 successful seasons in Borussia in 2012.The goal scoring midfielder, with his nimble feet and deft passing was expected to be the next Park Ji Sung.

However, during his 2 years at United, Kagawa mostly flattered to deceive apart from standout performances in a few games. With the arrival of Juan Mata, he had no choice but to leave for his former club, where he continues to pull the strings of the attack.

2. Wilfried Zaha

Watford v Crystal Palace - Premier League

The winger from Ivory Coast was Sir Alex Ferguson's last transfer before his retirement. Expectations were naturally high from the lanky youngster, but with only 2 games for United in over 2 years and having to spend the remainder of the time on loan, there was no other option for him other than a permanent transfer to Crystal Palace.

He provided the necessary fresh air to a depleted Palace side and ended up being the player of the year for the club in just his second year there. He continues to be the creative brain behind the Palace attack and has established himself as a textbook winger, notorious for his ankle breaking skills.

1. Angel Di Maria

Paris Saint-Germain v FC Basel 1893 - UEFA Champions League

Perhaps the most expected and popular of all the names in this list, his stint at the club was also the shortest, lasting just 1 season. Having had to play six different positions in a United team that was struggling to gel its enormous talents into a single unit, he had openly admitted that he was struggling to fit in.

A promising start to the season ended with the former Madrid star unable to find the net even once in his last 25 odd games for United. With personal problems at Manchester adding fuel to the fire, a move was unavoidable and the £60 million buy joined PSG for around £44m, where he now works his magic.