Which Manchester United Loan Players Have a Future Under Louis Van Gaal?

The summer of 2014 witnessed huge change at Manchester United as, under the stewardship of new manager Louis van Gaal, six major new signings arrived, and over 20 players left.

However, the future of eight of these departing players remains in limbo as they only left United for a season-long loan.

Here I take a look at the four biggest names to currently be out on loan, and their chances of having a future under Van Gaal when they return to Old Trafford.

Javier Hernandez

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After scoring 20 goals and helping United win the Premier League title and reach the Champions League final in his debut season, Javier Hernandez’s Old Trafford career has been on steady decline.  

In the following three seasons Hernandez kept scoring goals at an impressive rate but failed to convince first Sir Alex Ferguson and then David Moyes that he deserved to be a regular starter.

The Mexican possesses a predatory instinct in front of goal, but it became obvious he offered too little outside of the penalty box.

After just two appearances Van Gaal was happy to let him leave for a loan spell at Real Madrid, where he has so far scored four goals in 14 appearances but again failed to become a starter.

Van Gaal wants his strikers to have genuine pace, something Hernandez lacks, and so it is likely he will leave for a new club on a permanent basis this summer.

Nani

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In the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Old Trafford in the summer of 2009 it was hoped his compatriot Nani could begin to fill the large void.

The Portuguese winger was arguably United’s most influential player when they won the Premier League title in the 2010-11 season, but overall Nani remained a study in unfulfilled potential and too often moves involving him would break down or lead to nothing. 

Sir Alex Ferguson lost patience with him in his final season, and David Moyes afforded him few starts in his only season, before Van Gaal arrived and concurred that he had no future at Old Trafford and allowed him to return to Sporting Lisbon on loan.

Nani has performed well back in Portugal, scoring seven goals in 17 games so far, but aged 28 and having already had seven seasons to prove himself at Old Trafford, Van Gaal will likely sell him this summer.

Wilfried Zaha

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Wilfried Zaha would have been a relieved man when he learned about David Moyes being sacked last year.

Zaha was Sir Alex Ferguson’s final signing for Manchester United in January 2013, but he failed to impress his successor Moyes and suffered the indignity of not starting a single game in the Premier League in his debut season as a United player.

However, Van Gaal’s arrival at Old Trafford did not herald the new start he would have hoped for and, after watching him during United’s pre-season tour of the USA, deemed him surplus to requirements and allowed him to return to Crystal Palace on loan.

Zaha has since endured a largely frustrating return to Selhurst Park, but in Palace’s 2-1 win over Tottenham at the weekend he again showed his immense, if unfulfilled, talent.

Still only 22 years old, he possesses a rare ability to beat opponents with pace and trickery, and so if he can continue to show that in south London for the rest of the season, there is a chance Van Gaal might be tempted to give him a final chance.

Tom Cleverley

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Only weeks in to Louis Van Gaal’s reign at Old Trafford Tom Cleverley confidently declared he had a promising looking future under him.

"I watched the manager’s Holland team in the World Cup and from that I think I’m going to be his type of player," said Cleverley, as reported in The Daily Mail. "I have to show that in training and most importantly games. There’s a place for me, but I have to prove it." 

It soon became apparent the feeling wasn’t mutual and Cleverley was loaned out to Aston Villa at the end of August.

Four months on there is no way back for Cleverley at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal quickly and rightly judged he was a limited player, and his performances in a struggling Aston Villa side will have done nothing to dissuade the Dutchman.