Letting Anderson Leave Manchester United Would Be Best for All Concerned

Anderson's rise was astronomical. He played 19 league games from Gremio, then 18 for Porto. And that was enough to earn an £18 million move to Manchester United as a 19-year-old.

Just weeks after his 20th birthday he was a Premier League and Champions League winner. And before the end of the summer he would have an Olympic bronze medal in his pocket after starring for Brazil in Beijing. 

But if his ascent to the top was sharp and sudden, his fall from grace has been slow and drawn out. At times, it's been painful to watch.

He hasn't started a league game for United in more than a year and was loaned out to Fiorentina at the end of last season. 

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He returned to find his squad number reassigned to Juan Mata. And when he made his first appearance of this season, in the humiliating 4-0 defeat to MK Dons in the Capital One Cup, he was wearing the No. 28 shirt rather than the No. 8 he inherited from Wayne Rooney when he arrived at Old Trafford in 2007.

He's become something of a figure of fun at United. A recent injury he suffered was only revealed when Louis van Gaal happened to mention it in his programme notes. The journalists who attend the Dutchman's weekly press conference hadn't thought to ask about a player who has almost become an irrelevance.

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United could be without Michael Carrick and Daley Blind for Saturday's trip to Arsenal. But when the fans come to discuss who should fill the gap in midfield, there will be few making the case for Anderson.

Most supporters were desperate for him to succeed. What football fan doesn't want a flamboyant Brazilian running their midfield? Injuries haven't helped but in seven seasons he's struggled to turn flashes of brilliance into anything more than that. Flashes.

That, though, is all in the past. And so should his United career be. 

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He's had more chances than most to prove he's good enough. And there was a time when it looked like he would become one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, even perhaps the world. But that seems a long time ago now.

The only thing left is for his time at United to officially come to an end. There's no benefit staying somewhere you're not wanted, and Van Gaal doesn't need an unhappy player trotting out onto the training pitch every day.

It's a source of great frustration for many fans that the promise of his early United career has not been fulfilled. But it's time for everyone to move on. Especially Anderson.