Where are they now? The first 8 Man Utd players sold by Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho welcomed some big names through the door in his first season at Manchester United, but also waved goodbye to several players.
The Portuguese coach arrived with plenty of fanfare but had work to do to transform the 2016 FA Cup winners into more of a consistent and winning side. He managed to leave his mark on his team in his first season by winning the Carabao Cup and Europa League, but finished sixth in the Premier League.
Including both the summer and winter transfer windows, Mourinho sold eight players in his first season at United. Here’s what they’ve been up to since.
Paddy McNair
One of two defenders who broke through under the previous management of Louis van Gaal, McNair was swiftly sold to fellow Premier League side Sunderland in the summer of 2016.
The Black Cats were relegated that season and were relegated again the following season, when McNair left to join Middlesbrough. He’s carved out a fine career over the years, being named their Player of the Year for 2020-21 and being capped 73 times for Northern Ireland.
McNair is currently on loan at West Brom having signed with San Diego FC ahead of their entry into MLS in 2025.
Tyler Blackett
McNair’s partner in crime under Van Gaal, now 30-year-old Blackett has also enjoyed a solid career for the most part. He signed for Reading in the summer he left United and spent four years with the club before signing for Nottingham Forest.
Blackett spent a season there before spending a season and a half in the United States with FC Cincinnati, but is currently a free agent after leaving Rotherham this summer.
Will Keane
Stockport-born Keane had been with United since he was 11 and impressed at youth level, but left in the summer of 20166 having managed three first-team appearances.
Capped five times for the Republic of Ireland since switching allegiance, the striker’s career has been massively disrupted by injuries, although he has seemingly settled into a more consistent rhythm as time has gone on. He’s been at Preston since 2023 after an impressive spell with Wigan.
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Victor Valdes
A strange saga, Valdes joined United in 2015 after initially being invited to recover from an injury setback with the club under former Barcelona manager Van Gaal.
Their relationship soured not long after, however, with Valdes refusing to play a reserve team game according to the manager. He left for Middlesbrough after his contract expired and spent one season with the club as they were relegated from the Premier League.
Valdes retired from football in January 2018 and spent a brief time as a youth coach at Barcelona before leaving, but returned in 2021 when he helped Joan Laporta in his bid to be re-elected as president.
Nick Powell
Injury and subsequent failure to develop on the potential he showed at Crewe Alexandra meant that Powell was very much out of the picture at United by 2016, even if Van Gaal did bring him on for Juan Mata in a crucial Champions League game the season earlier.
An obviously talented footballer, he joined Wigan and spent three years with the Latics and played himself into a move to Stoke in 2019. He left Stoke in 2023 and signed for League Two outfit Stockport County, where he has been key in their ascent to League One.
Morgan Schneiderlin
Schneiderlin largely underwhelmed at United and when the manager who signed him was gone after one season, he was always on borrowed time under midfield.
The ‘Schmidfield’ was quickly dismantled as he was sold to Everton for £24million in January 2017. The Frenchman failed to recapture the form he showed at Southampton and retired in 2024 after spells in France, Australia, Turkey and Greece.
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Memphis Depay
The move to United seemed to come too soon for Depay and despite his potential, Mourinho was happy for him to be sold to Lyon in January 2017.
Depay managed to rebuild his reputation in France and was linked with a move back to United on a number of occasions, but instead joined Barcelona in 2021.
His two years with the Catalan giants were forgettable and after a single season with Atletico Madrid, the 30-year-old joined Brazilian side Corinthians back in September.
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Despite immediately freezing him out of the team upon arrival, Mourinho did eventually bring Schweinsteiger back into the fold before he was sold to Chicago Fire in March 2017.
The German midfielder spent two years with the MLS outfit before retiring in 2019. In the time since, Schweinsteiger has enjoyed time as a father while also taking on media duties.