11 Ex-Man Utd Players You Maybe Didn’t Know Were Still Playing

Manchester United has seen a lot of change in the last decade or so, with their reputation on the pitch dwindling and their playing staff seeing huge changes year on year.

After winning the Premier League in 2013, the Red Devils saw Sir Alex Ferguson retire as manager and ever since they have been clamouring to get back to those heights, which has seen a whole host of players come and go with differing successes.

But there are some players who departed Old Trafford who you may be surprised to hear are still playing professionally, albeit at very different levels, and GIVEMESPORT has taken a look back through the past to find a starting lineup of former Reds stars that fans may have forgotten about.

Goalkeeper – Sergio Romero

After moving to Old Trafford under Louis Van Gaal from Sampdoria, Romero became the number two to David De Gea and stayed at Man Utd for six years, making 61 appearances in all competitions, including playing the Europa League final against Ajax.

After leaving at the end of his contract to return to Italy with Venezia, he spent a year there before returning to his homeland with Boca Juniors. After three years there, the Argentina international now plays for Argentinos Juniors in the top flight, and is still going strong at 38 years old.

Defence: Varela, Smalling, Rojo, Buttner

The defence has been an area that has seen plenty of changes over the last decade, with some big names moving on in that time.

Someone who was there during the Ferguson era was Chris Smalling, who many believed was supposed to be the heir to Rio Ferdinand’s throne at centre-back, but he never quite reached those levels due to injuries and other things. After leaving Old Trafford he moved abroad with Roma, and the former England man now plays in Saudi Arabia with Al Fayha at the tender age of 36.

He regularly played in defence alongside Argentina international Marcos Rojo, who became somewhat of a fan favourite for his no-nonsense style. His performances were never quite a the highest level though, and after leaving Europe following his spell at Man Utd, he now plays for Racing Club back in his home country.

Another man who was there during the Ferguson final season was Netherlands international Alex Buttner. He even scored in that game, but after Ferguson left he struggled to earn regular football, and now plays in the Eredivisie with Vitesse. At right-back, Guillermo Varela was tipped to have a huge future at Old Trafford, and is probably best known for getting the assist for Marcus Rashford’s goal against Arsenal on his debut.

But the Uruguayan’s career didn’t go to plan and after returning to South America following some loan spells at Real Madrid Castilla and Eintracht Frankfurt, Varela has since played for FC Copenhagen, Dynamo Moscow and now plays for Flamengo in Brazil.

Midfield: Mata, Kagawa, Morrison, Bebe

The midfield has been a real problem area for Man Utd in recent years, but some of the talent they have had on display over the years makes that even more confusing.

David Moyes made the move to bring Juan Mata to the club from Chelsea, and the World Cup winner made 285 appearances, scoring 51 goals for the club over an eight-and-a-half-year spell. Since then, the Spaniard has gone on a bit of a world tour, playing in Turkey, Japan and now in Australia with Melbourne Victory.

Two of the more disappointing midfielders have been Shinji Kagawa and Ravel Morrison, who both have unquestionable ability, but it just never worked out for them at Old Trafford. Kagawa joined from Borussia Dortmund but spent just two years at the club before returning to Germany. He spent several more years in Europe before returning to Japan, where he now plays for Cerezo Osaka in midfield.

Morrison on the other hand was considered to be one of the greatest talents to have ever come out of Carrington, but off-the-field issues saw him move before that talent could ever be fully developed. After moving around and representing 14 more clubs since his departure, the Jamaica international now plays in the UAE second division league with the Arabian Falcons despite being just 32.

One of the more memorable stories from Ferguson’s latter tenure was the arrival of Bebe, who went from playing in the homeless World Cup to the Champions League. It was no surprise that he struggled with the level, and after spending several years in Spain’s La Liga, he is currently starring for UD Ibiza.

Attack: Chicharito, Macheda

After arriving at Man Utd as an unknown Mexican forward, Javier Hernandez lit up Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson and managed to score an impressive 59 goals in 157 appearances for the club. After leaving permanently in 2016, following a loan at Real Madrid, Chicharito played for Bayer Leverkusen, West Ham, Sevilla and LA Galaxy, and is now back in his native Mexico with Guadalajara.

Alongside him, a player with an iconic moment in a red shirt would be Italian Federico Macheda, who essentially scored the goals that clinched them the title against Aston Villa and Sunderland way back in 2009.

It never quite worked out for him long-term at United, though, and after playing for a number of clubs including Quens Park Rangers, Nottingham Forest, Sampdoria, Panathinaikos and APOEL, Macheda is now at Asteras Tripolis in the Greek top-flight at 34 years of age.