Where are they now? The 6 players Man Utd signed alongside Anthony Martial in 2015
Anthony Martial has left Manchester United after nine years at the club – but how did the other six arrivals in the summer of 2015 fare at Old Trafford?
Martial scored 90 goals in 317 appearances for United, but will largely be remembered as a frustrating figure by the Old Trafford faithful after failing to fully deliver on his early promise.
We’ve taken a look back at the other players signed by Louis van Gaal that summer to see where they are in the present day.
Memphis Depay
Depay played under Van Gaal with the Netherlands and was tipped to be the next big thing after joining United from PSV in 2015.
But the attacker failed to live up to expectations at Old Trafford, scoring just two Premier League goals before completing a £16million move to Lyon in January 2017.
Happily, Depay enjoyed a career renaissance in France and helped Lyon reach the Champions League semis in 2020 – earning himself a move to Barcelona in the process.
While his time at Camp Nou was undistinguished, Depay enjoyed a happier spell with Atletico Madrid despite injuries limiting his impact to 13 goals in 40 appearances.
The Netherlands international is set to leave Atletico at the end of his contract this summer – and will be aiming to impress potential suitors at this summer’s European Championship.
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every Dutch player to appear for Man Utd in the PL?
Matteo Darmian
Darmian only ever had a bit-part role during his four years at Old Trafford and returned to his native Italy in 2019, joining Parma in a £1.4million deal.
The full-back has since joined Inter Milan and has managed to get his hands on seven trophies back in Italy. Darmian also went close to winning the Champions League in 2023, only for Inter to lose the final against Manchester City.
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TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every Man Utd manager of the post-war era?
Morgan Schneiderlin
Having impressed in the Premier League with Southampton, Schneiderlin joined United in the summer of 2015 but failed to recapture the form he had shown on the south coast.
After Van Gaal was sacked, the midfielder played just 11 league minutes under Jose Mourinho and went on to rejoin former manager Ronald Koeman at Everton in January 2017.
After a bright start, things didn’t go as planned there either and the midfielder then had spells in France and Turkey before joining Greek side Kifisia in 2023.
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Having worked under Van Gaal at Bayern Munich, Schweinsteiger joined United in 2015 but made just 35 appearances for the club in all competitions.
He was marginalised by Jose Mourinho, but was also the subject of a rare Special One apology that presumably sits alongside the World Cup winners medal in Schweinsteiger’s trophy cabinet.
“He apologised to me later,” he told FourFourTwo. “I gave him a handshake and said, ‘All good, don’t worry’.
“I would’ve liked to have played more, definitely, and with Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, because with those two players I think we could have achieved much more. But I’m grateful to the supporters for the way they welcomed me when I had the chance to play.
“My dream was to play at Old Trafford again and it happened after a while, after training on my own, or with the Under-19s or Under-17s. Playing at Old Trafford again really meant a lot to me.”
The former Germany international spent two-and-half years in the MLS with Chicago Fire before deciding to hang up his boots in 2019. He now works as a pundit on German television.
READ: 13 legends who came to the Premier League too late: Schweinsteiger, Zlatan…
Sergio Romero
Man Utd were truly blessed in the goalkeeper department when they had Romero and a prime David de Gea in their ranks.
The former Argentina international made 61 matches in all competitions for United, keeping 39 clean sheets before signing for Serie A fashion icons Venezia in October 2021.
He went on to make 16 appearances, keeping three clean sheets, but he couldn’t stop them from getting relegated. The now 37-year-old joined Boca Juniors in 2022 and hasn’t looked back since.
Since heading back to Argentina, Romero has made 69 appearances in total. It’s nice to see a perennial back-up goalkeeper get his flowers late in his career.
Regan Poole
Poole joined from Newport County for a fee of around £100,000 in September 2015.
The Welsh defender spent the majority of his time at United out on loan, but did make a cameo in the Europa League against Midtjylland in 2016.
After being released by the club in 2019, he signed for League One side Milton Keynes Dons on a free transfer.
“I made my debut for the Manchester United first team and that’s something to be really proud of and that will stay with me forever,” Poole told the Manchester Evening News in 2019. “I loved my time at the club, it was amazing.”
Now aged 25, Poole has just helped Portsmouth win promotion back to the Championship.