Man Utd star who Ten Hag sold now outperforming Rasmus Hojlund | OneFootball

Manchester United enjoyed a busy summer transfer window at Old Trafford, with manager Erik ten Hag given free rein to shape his squad as he saw fit.

It meant a number of players were brought into the club, as United racked up a total spend close to £200 million, while plenty of household names departed the Greater Manchester outfit too.

With the 2023/24 season now well underway, GIVEMESPORT has taken a look at where those players who left United in the summer have ended up and how they've started life away from Old Trafford.

11 Fred - Fenerbahce

Enjoying a fruitful five-year spell at United, Fred had originally joined back in 2018 as part of a £52 million deal from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk. Originally signing a five-year contract with the club, Fred was due to be out of contract anyway in the summer, but the Red Devils triggered a 12-month contract extension for the Brazil midfielder back in December 2022.

That presented United with the opportunity to cash in on the then 30-year-old ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, with Turkish side Fenerbahce splashing £13 million on the midfield anchor.

10 Dean Henderson - Crystal Palace

In one of the longest transfer stories of the summer transfer window, Dean Henderson was forced to endure a yo-yo saga, where it looked at multiple as if he'd be staying at Old Trafford.

That of course didn't turn out to be the case, as the goalkeeper finally secured a long-awaited move away from the club in the final days of the window, penning a £20 million switch to Premier League side Crystal Palace. In a strange coincidence, Henderson made his debut for Crystal Palace at Old Trafford itself, with the England international conceding three times during a League Cup third-round defeat at the hands of his former employers.

9 Anthony Elanga - Nottingham Forest

Once dubbed a 'hero' of the terraces by journalist Dean Jones during an interview with GIVEMESPORT, Anthony Elanga's nine-year stint with United came to an end in the recent summer transfer window. A product of the Red Devils' academy system, Elanga notched up over 50 senior appearances for the 20-time English champions, with perhaps his most memorable moment being the goal he scored against Atletico Madrid in the 2021/22 Champions League knockouts.

However, the Swedish international has moved on to pastures new, with Elanga signing for Nottingham Forest as part of a £15 million deal, where he has impressed enormously. As well as netting the winner at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, he's also chipped in with three assists - which is four more goal contributions in the Premier League than Rasmus Hojlund has managed.

8 Teden Mengi - Luton Town

Teden Mengi might have only made a handful of senior appearances for United, but the academy graduate was still able to command a fee when leaving the club in the summer transfer window.

It was reported that Mengi had turned down proposals from clubs across Europe late in the window, with the Manchester-born starlet deciding on a move to Premier League Luton Town instead. Used sparingly by Luton boss Rob Edwards in the early part of the season, Mengi might already be wishing he ditched England to pursue a career on the continent.

7 David De Gea - Free Agent

Probably the most controversial departure of the 2023 summer transfer window, David De Gea was let go by United following the expiration of his contract and replaced by £47 million man Andre Onana.

Despite notching over 540 appearances for United across his 10-year stint with the club, manager ten Hag didn't fancy the Spanish goalkeeper, with Onana chosen as his replacement due to the former Inter Milan goalkeeper's superior on-the-ball ability. However, with Onana having struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League and De Gea still without a club, there have been some shock calls for United to bring the now 32-year-old back to the club this season.

6 Phil Jones - Free Agent

From one free agent to another now, Phil Jones' United career had pretty much been over for some time before it was made official during the summer transfer window.

Making a grand total of five senior appearances during ten Hag's first season in charge, it was clear the former Blackburn Rovers defender was going to leave United when his contract ran out. Despite spending over a decade at Old Trafford, Jones famously went on record to say he would refuse the opportunity of a testimonial because only his mum and dad would turn up. His words, not ours!

5 Matej Kovar - Bayer Leverkusen

Moving to England from his home country Czechia aged just 17 years old, Matej Kovar had impressed for United at youth level, but the goalkeeper was moved on during a summer clear out at Old Trafford.

The now 23-year-old made the switch from the Premier League over to the Bundesliga, linking up with Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen as part of a £7.7 million move. Slotting in behind number-one pick Lukas Hradecky at Leverkusen, Kovar has been used as the German club's cup goalkeeper, with the Czech shot-stopper featuring in the Europa League for Alonso's side.

4 Zidane Iqbal - Utrecht

Another top youth team talent tipped to make it at Old Trafford, Zidane Iqbal's summer departure came as somewhat of a shock to the United faithful. Not because Iqbal was expected to make it in the United first-team as such, more because the midfielder landed at Eredivisie outfit Utrecht.

What's more, Iqbal - who represents Iraq at international level - only commanded a small fee of around £1 million, despite having time left to run on his contract at Old Trafford. Unfortunately for Iqbal though, he hasn't been able to play much since moving to the Netherlands, with an early-season injury restricting him to a small number of minutes on the pitch.

3 Alex Telles - Al Nassr

Left-back has been a problem position for ten Hag this season, but that could've been very different had Alex Telles remained at the club in the summer. The Portuguese defender departed Old Trafford just three years after joining, signing for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

Despite the millions that were spent on Premier League players by Saudi clubs during the summer, United only pocketed around £4 million for the former Porto star's signature. Interestingly enough, that's around £3 million less than the Middle Eastern outfit are reportedly paying Telles per year in wages.

2 Axel Tuanzebe - Ipswich Town

Another graduate of the world-famous United Academy system, there had been high hopes for Axel Tuanzebe when he broke onto the scene back in 2015, but it never really panned out that way for the DR Congo-born defender.

Instead, after a close to two-decade-long spell with United, Tuanzebe left for good in the summer transfer window, joining EFL Championship side Ipswich Town on a free transfer. It allowed the 25-year-old to link back up with former United youth coach Kieran McKenna, with the Tractor Boys starting the season in fine form by winning nine of their opening 11 matches and losing just one during that time.

1 Eric Bailly - Besiktas

A player whose United career was blighted by injuries, Eric Bailly had signed for the three-time European champions back in 2016 for around £30 million. Then manager Jose Mourinho used Bailly as one of his main centrebacks, with the Ivory Coast international starring in the 2016/17 United side that won both the League Cup and the Europa League.

However, that would prove to be the high point of his United career, as a series of injuries across his spell with the club would keep Bailly out for a combined 126 matches, with the defender joining Turkish side Besiktas in the summer window on a free transfer.