Picking an XI of Manchester United Players Who Left the Club Too Soon

Manchester United is usually an "end-goal" for most footballers.

It is the place where youngsters dream they will end up playing—an ideal to strive toward.

However, there have been some who started their careers at Old Trafford and were either released or sold before their prime.

This may have been due to an incorrect appraisal of talent, a falling out with the manager or just down to what was viewed as good business at the time.

This article will put together an XI of players who left the Red Devils too soon.

Goalkeeper

There were relatively few options to choose from in terms of goalkeepers who left Manchester United too soon.

The great Red Devils goalkeepers: Alex Stepney, Peter Schmeichel, Edwin van der Sar—all played their best football at Old Trafford and left at a ripe-old age.

More recently there was Ben Foster, a highly promising English shot-stopper who was hailed as a future great when he made the move from Stoke City in 2005.

But after making some high-profile mistakes playing for the United first team, he was quickly shunted out of the team by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Now at West Bromwich Albion, Foster was excellent last season playing for a surprisingly effective team.

He always had the potential to succeed at United but perhaps not the temperament.

There are few fans regretting his exit now, though, considering David de Gea's rapid rise to excellence.

Defence

To accommodate three central defenders, I have plucked for a back line of three.

The first is current Barcelona player Gerard Pique, who left Old Trafford due to homesickness in 2008.

Pique has been a key part of a team that has stood at the summit of world football for the past four years.

Soon after Pique was sold, former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports: "I always thought he would do well. We were disappointed to lose him but we understood at the time that his family desire was to go back to Barcelona," (h/t Goal.com).

At the heart of this fantasy team is Dutch behemoth Jaap Stam.

The hulking central defender was one of the most physically dominant players to ever put on the red shirt and a key component of the famous treble-winning side of 1999.

His exit in 2001 was an unexpected blow for the Red Devils, and it did lasting damage to the makeup of the side.

According to Nick Harris of The Independent, Sir Alex said: "We got the offer from Lazio, £16.5m for a centre-back who was 29. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. But in playing terms it was a mistake. He is still playing for Ajax at a really good level".

The third central defender picked is Paul McGrath, the heavily drinking Ireland international.

McGrath was sold at the age of 30 due to his personal demons but later forged an excellent career at Aston Villa, for whom he made over 250 league appearances.

He even won the PFA Player of the Year award in 1994 and is still regarded as a hero by fans of the Villans.

Midfield

In a packed midfield, first up is rugged box-to-box midfielder Paul Ince.

The "Guv'nor," as he called himself, let ego get the better of him during his time at Old Trafford, and he clashed with Sir Alex in the dressing room.

His move to Inter Milan in 1995 was a rare case of a top English player moving overseas.

He was impressive in Italy but ultimately gave the best performances of the latter part of his career at United's rivals, Liverpool.

Next to him is Paul Pogba, a man whose name currently gives many fans around Old Trafford shivers.

The Frenchman quit United last summer due to a lack of playing time and a lack of money.

He was terrific for Juventus last term, showing all the makings of a future world-class player. Attitude aside, most fans of the Red Devils wish he was still in Manchester.

On the right wing is Keith Gillespie, a Northern Ireland international who left United in 1995 having failed to displace Andrei Kanchelskis as the first choice on the right flank.

Gillespie was a lightning-quick player capable of blitzing past any defender one-on-one in his prime.

At Newcastle United, he was a regular for a side in the mid-1990s that came close to toppling the Red Devils at the summit of the Premier League table.

On the left is Peter Beardsley, a player whose Manchester United past is often forgotten.

The diminutive attacking midfielder carved out a successful career for himself having left Old Trafford aged only 21.

He played for Newcastle United, Everton and Liverpool. Sir Alex once tried to buy him back early in his reign as United manager but was rejected.

In attacking midfield we have David Platt, the former assistant manager of Manchester City.

Platt was an excellent international player, scoring 27 goals in 62 appearances for England. He played his best club football at Aston Villa and later for Arsene Wenger's Arsenal.

The adroit attacking threat was released by the Red Devils having failed to make the grade at youth level.

Attack

In attack, Giuseppe Rossi is the unlikely partner of Mark Hughes.

The Italian forward struggled for game time at United as a talented teenager, eventually being sold to La Liga side Villarreal for £6.6 million.

He may have struggled with injury problems in recent seasons, but Rossi remains an immensely gifted player.

In 2010/11, he scored 32 goals in all competitions for the Yellow Submarine.

Hughes is perhaps the only genuine Manchester United legend in this XI.

The versatile Welsh forward was sold by the Red Devils to Barcelona in 1986, only to be bought back two years later.

In his second stint at Old Trafford, Hughes won the Premier League twice, scoring 116 goals in all competitions.

He is proof that there is no weakness in admitting you made a mistake the first time around.

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