Manchester United Have Only Sold Five Players For A Profit In The Last 10 Years

Daniel James is one of five Manchester United players to have been sold for a profit in the last 10 years.

It was confirmed on transfer deadline day that the Wales international had completed a £25 million move to Leeds United, ending his two-year stay at Old Trafford after making 74 appearances in all competitions for the club.

The 23-year-old joined United in the 2019 summer transfer window from Championship side Swansea for an initial £15 million, meaning the Reds managed to make a solid profit on the pacey winger.

It may surprise some readers but the Premier League side have only made a profit on four other players in the last decade, including some often-forgotten names.

Despite making just 28 appearances for the club between 2014 and 2016, full-back Alexander Buttner was sold to Russian side Dinamo Moscow for a £1.8 million profit.

The Dutch defender, who never managed to break into the first-team at Old Trafford, has since played for Vitesse, New England Revolution and most recently KC Waalwijk

Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez was another player who was sold for a small profit.

After scoring 59 goals in 157 appearances for the club during a successful five-year stay in Manchester, the Mexican striker was offloaded to Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen in 2015.

He was bought for £6.5 million from Guadalajara and was then sold for £7.3 million.

Image credit: PA

The small profits continue with Daley Blind, the defensive midfielder turned centre-back who was brought to Old Trafford by Louis van Gaal after an impressive tournament at the 2014 World Cup with the Netherlands.

He joined from Ajax for £16 million and after winning the Europa League and FA Cup in a four-year spell, Blind was sold to back to the Eredivisie champions for £18 million.

Considering he wasn't a first-team regular at United, this was seen as solid business at the time, although his form for Ajax in recent years has raised questions as to whether they should have cashed in.

Image credit: PA

Chris Smalling is the final name on this list. The centre-back joined United in a £7 million deal from Fulham in the summer of 2010 and went on to spend nine trophy-laden years in Manchester.

He lifted two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a Europa League during his spell at the Reds before joining Serie A side Roma on a permanent deal after spending the 2019/20 campaign at the Stadio Olimpico.

United managed to strike a £13.6 million deal with the Italians - a solid piece of business.

Topics: Dan James, Football, Manchester United, Transfers, Premier League

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He's interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He dabbles in all things sport but football is his biggest passion. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

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