David Moyes sanctions 5-man clear-out at Old Trafford!
Gary Neville
Published at 7:55AM, June 15 2015
The Red Devils didn't fare well last season. Expectations of a title-winning return to follow-up the Champions League trophy from David Moyes' debut season were crushed and the fans had to settle with FA Cup and Community Shield double and sweat until the last day before a top four finish was barely confirmed. Such shortcoming cannot go unpunished and the manager has prompted a clear-out in a bid to shake up the first team. The first to leave
Manchester United is promising midfielder
Nick Powell (21) who was allowed to turn his Europa League winning loan spell with
Swansea into a permanent deal in exchange of a
7.5 million pounds fee. Powell played 41 games for the Swans, scoring 4 goals and creating 8 more.
Manchester United have also sanctioned a
3.9 million pounds deal taking
Danny Welbeck (24) to
Everton. The England international was largely an impact sub during Moyes' first season but only scored four goals and never came in play in the previous campaign.
The third one to leave
Manchester United is overhyped central midfielder
Tom Cleverley (25) who impressed high-flying
Southampton enough for the Saints to cough up
8.0 million pounds for his services. Tom simply failed to live up to the high standards required at Old Trafford and 31 appearances over the past two seasons produced just two goals and four assists - something that cannot be tolerated even for a bit-part player.
Manchester United have also opted to part company with the lesser half of the Brazil twin duo -
Fabio (25), who has also joined
Swansea for
5.0 million pounds. Fabio was a regular during Moyes' reign but his pace and versatility were not enough to convince the manager he deserves to stay.
The final player to depart from
Manchester United is backup goalkeeper
Anders Lindegaard (31) who has opted to try and claim a starting place with
West Ham. The Hammers have agreed to pay
640k pounds for the shot-stopper.
Nick Powell transfer verdict: 4.5/10 - the young midfielder can't compete for first team football at Old Trafford yet, but has showed enough promise to suggest another season-long loan would have been a better choice than the permanent deal.
Danny Welbeck transfer verdict: 6.0/10 - the striker isn't good enough and the decision to let him go was justified.
Tom Cleverley transfer verdict: 6.5/10 - good fee for a player who failed to handle life at a big club.
Fabio transfer verdict: 5.0/10 - it wasn't necessarily a bad deal but Fabio had some very good games last season and could have been given a chance for another year.
Anders Lindegaard transfer verdict: 5.5/10 - backup keepers always deserve to be released if given the chance of first team football elsewhere.