Man Utd XI from De Gea's debut including Rooney and Mourinho favourite
David de Gea looks set to bring a curtain down on a long and successful career as a Manchester United player.
Signed from Atletico Madrid in 2011 under the stewardship of Sir Alex Ferguson, he is assured of a legendary place in the club’s history. De Gea has lifted the Premier League, FA Cup, two League Cups and the Europa League during his time at Old Trafford.
Plenty has changed at the club during the Spaniard’s time, none least the starting XI that he played with on his Premier League debut. De Gea’s first top-flight outing came in a 2-1 win over West Brom in August 2011.
Take a look at the side that the Red Devils fielded that day and what has happened since:
David de Gea
Interestingly, the Spanish stopper is the only player from De Gea's debut left at the club. Following his debut for the side, he endured a tough start to life at Old Trafford.
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He overcame any doubt over his suitability for the Red Devils and has gone on to accumulate 545 appearances for the club. As it stands, he will leave the club on a free transfer after failing to agree terms on a new contract.
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Ashley Young
Whilst De Gea could be on the move this summer, the same can be said of former winger Ashley Young. His debut coincided with De Gea’s and he went on to have a nine-year stint at Old Trafford before he moved.
A move to Italian giants Inter Milan was then next on the agenda and he helped the club to end their long wait for a Serie A crown. Young, a 39-time England international, then made an emotional return to Aston Villa and has only just left this summer at the end of his deal.
Rio Ferdinand
Twice the most expensive defender in world football, Ferdinand proved to be one of Ferguson’s best acquisitions of all time. The former Leeds and West Ham man-made 455 appearances as a Red Devil, winning six Premier League titles, the Champions League and a whole host of other trophies.
He brought the curtain down on his Old Trafford career at the end of the 2013/14 campaign with a move to Queens Park Rangers. The switch did not go as intended as Ferdinand made just 12 appearances before deciding to retire. He has now launched a successful punditry career.
Chris Smalling
Arriving at Old Trafford in a bargain move from Fulham, Smalling is potentially one of the more under-appreciated names in United’s recent history. The central defender made 323 appearances for the club and won a host of trophies until he was eventually allowed to depart in 2019 for a loan spell with Roma.
He has since gone on to become a key performer for the Italian giants and under Jose Mourinho. Smalling has continued to lift silverware at the Stadio Olimpico and claimed the Europa Conference League title in 2022.
Nemanja Vidic
Intriguingly, Vidic ended up making fewer appearances for the Red Devils than Smalling but his impact was certainly not lessened. After arriving from Spartak Moscow, he became one of the most imperious defenders in Premier League history.
He played a role in five Premier League title successes, the Champions League win in 2008 and much more. Vidic rounded off his career with a one-year spell in Italy with Inter Milan but was unable to claim a trophy in the final season of his career.
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Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic won plenty of silverware together at Man United (Getty Images)Fabio
One of the Brazilian full-back pair alongside twin brother Rafael, they arrived at Old Trafford in 2008 from Fluminense. Whilst Rafael went on to play on 170 occasions for the Red Devils, his brother was only afforded 56 outings.
After leaving in 2013, he had stints with Cardiff and Middlesbrough before he ventured abroad to sign for Nantes in 2018. He returned to his homeland with a move to Gremio earlier this year.
Anderson
From one Brazilian international to another, midfielder Anderson failed to live up to the hype that he had developed during a stint with Porto. The £20m signing did, however, manage to make 181 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring nine goals, and lifting an array of trophies.
Like Fabio, Anderson returned to Brazil with a switch to Internacional in 2015 and was most recently with Turkish side Adana Demirspor. He retired from football back in September 2020.
Tom Cleverley
A Red Devils’ academy graduate, Tom Cleverley was sent on a succession of loan spells before finally earning his chance for the 2011/12 season. The 13-time England international eventually left for Everton in 2015 but stayed for just a season-and-a-half before rejoining one of his loan clubs Watford.
Since then, he has gone on to make 146 appearances for the Hornets as they’ve bounced between the top two divisions. He was made captain ahead of the 2022/23 season and remains in talks over extending his stay at Vicarage Road.
Nani
Another of Ferguson’s crop currently on the lookout for a new club, Portuguese winger Nani was intended to be Cristiano Ronaldo's successor at Old Trafford. The skilful winger scored 40 goals in 230 outings before leaving on loan back to his former club Sporting Lisbon.
He then embarked on a journeyman career that saw him take in spells with Fenerbahce, Valencia, Lazio, Orlando City, Venezia and Melbourne Victory. He only made ten appearances for the latter before suffering a serious knee injury and was then released at the end of the season.
Nani scored 40 goals during his time at Man United (Getty Images)Wayne Rooney
Man United’s record goalscorer, Rooney actually got the scoring underway at the Hawthorns before Shane Long’s equaliser - Steven Reid’s own-goal gifting three points to the Red Devils. Rooney’s achievements at Old Trafford need little mention.
He brought an end to his hugely successful United career with an emotional return to Everton before moving to MLS side DC United. Derby County tempted him back to England and he went on to become Rams' boss.
He was unable to keep them in the Championship amid financial turmoil and he eventually departed 12 months ago as he returned to DC.
Danny Welbeck
After progressing through the club’s youth system, Danny Welbeck scored 29 goals for United before a 2014 move to Arsenal. He saw his stint at the Emirates Stadium hugely disrupted by injury but still managed to lift two FA Cups as a Gunner.
Welbeck had a one-season spell with Watford and then moved to Brighton following the Hornets’ relegation in 2020. He will be back in Europe next season after helping the Seagulls to a place in the Europa League.
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