Do players thrive once they leave Man Utd or were club right to sell?

Scott McTominay - Serie A victor with Napoli. Jadon Sancho - Conference League victor with Chelsea. Dean Henderson - FA Cup victor with Crystal Palace.

There was a clip erstwhile leaving Manchester United was viewed arsenic the commencement of a dilatory diminution successful a player's career.

Is that inactive the case?

Wednesday's Conference League last saw 2 players, presently contracted to United, connected other sides successful the signifier of Sancho, who has spent the play connected indebtedness astatine Chelsea, and Brazil winger Antony, who joined Real Betis connected a impermanent ground successful January.

While United's bosses transportation retired an inquest into a disastrous 2024-25 campaign, Sancho ends the play with a European winners' medal aft Chelsea's 4-1 victory successful Wroclaw, Poland.

In addition, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Matteo Darmian - who person some spent clip astatine United successful caller years - could diagnostic for Inter Milan erstwhile they look Paris St-Germain successful Saturday's Champions Final successful Munich.

So, does leaving Manchester United assistance revive your vocation fixed Sancho, Antony, and McTominay person each done good distant from Old Trafford?

It is not that agelong agone that McTominay was a bit-part subordinate astatine United - starting matches connected the substitutes bench.

Last summertime the Scotland wanted a alteration of scenery - and United wanted wealth to assistance them acceptable successful with the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

The Lancaster-born subordinate had been with United for implicit 20 years - archetypal attending a shot schoolhouse astatine the nine aged 5 - but made the bold determination to commencement again successful Italy.

A interest of £25.7m looks an implicit bargain now.

No wonderment his erstwhile brag astatine Old Trafford, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, recently told BBC Sport, "how you tin merchantability Scott is beyond me".

McTominay's crippled stats person improved successful astir each areas since helium near Old Trafford to nexus up with erstwhile United team-mate Romelu Lukaku astatine Napoli.

He scored 13 times and provided 4 assists successful 2,972 minutes connected the transportation successful 2024-25 compared to 10 goals and 3 assists successful 2,772 minutes astatine United the erstwhile season.

His passing accuracy has accrued from 82.7% to 85%, portion the chances helium has created per crippled has besides improved on with touches successful the absorption box.

Former Scotland midfielder Paul Lambert told BBC Sport moving to Italy had been the making of McTominay.

"Leaving Manchester United... there's a cognition that British shot is the be-all-and-end-all," said Lambert, who won the Champions League arsenic a subordinate with Borussia Dortmund successful 1997.

"It's not. Playing European shot brings players connected quicker. It makes you turn up quicker."

Then-United brag Erik 10 Hag did not privation to bash the woody with Napoli for McTominay, according to BBC Sport main shot quality newsman Simon Stone.

"From a Manchester United perspective, you truly request to look beyond the deals themselves, recognize wherefore they happened - and absorption successful connected the existent issues," said Stone.

"The glaring 1 is Scott McTominay. Former brag Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told maine successful Istanbul earlier this period that helium could not get his caput circular wherefore the Scotland planetary was sold.

"The rationale was simple. While Erik 10 Hag didn't privation to bash the woody with Napoli, it was the lone mode to make funds nether PSR to bring successful Manuel Ugarte.

"The mentation was solid, the execution was incorrect due to the fact that Ugarte has not delivered what was anticipated."

Other examples of players flourishing distant from Old Trafford see Antony.

The Brazil winger managed 5 goals successful 62 Premier League appearances aft joining United for £81.3m successful 2022, earlier moving to Spain to motion for Real Betis successful January aft struggling for first-team opportunities.

Antony has since managed 9 goals - 5 successful La Liga and 4 successful Europe - and is loving beingness again, contempt finishing with a runners-up medal successful the Conference League final.

"We saw a precise acold feline astatine Manchester United, since Antony has gone to Betis and things person been working, we've seen him cry, we've spot him laughter and Betis fans emotion that," said Spanish shot writer Guillem Balague.

Will Antony backmost astatine Old Trafford adjacent season? Well, helium remains nether declaration astatine United until 2027 though a imperishable determination to Betis could suit some parties.

"In Antony's case, determination is not a azygous United instrumentality who would reason the Brazilian should person been fixed much time," said Stone.

"The contented with Antony was the ridiculous interest paid for him."

Henderson, who recovered himself down David de Gea successful the pecking order, has besides seen his vocation footwear connected since joining Palace successful a £20m woody successful August 2023 having been with United since the property of 14.

In the past 12 months helium has made his archetypal England commencement and helped present Palace a archetypal large trophy aft helium saved Omar Marmoush's punishment successful the 1-0 triumph implicit Manchester City successful the FA Cup final.

While United person nary European shot to look guardant to, Henderson volition beryllium playing successful the Europa League adjacent season.

And what astir Anthony Elanga?

Like Henderson, helium excessively volition beryllium playing connected the continental signifier with Nottingham Forest, whose seventh-placed decorativeness has earned them a spot successful the Conference League.

Sweden guardant Elanga, who outgo Forest conscionable £15m from United successful 2023, provided 11 Premier League assists and chipped successful with a further six goals successful 2024-25.

He had been with United since helium was 12 and achieved a first-team breakthrough successful 2021, reaching 55 appearances earlier Forest stepped successful aft Ten Hag decided Elanga did not person the quality needed to beryllium capable of an power connected his squad.

De Gea, a Premier League champion with United successful 2012-13, volition besides beryllium playing successful the Conference League adjacent play aft helping Fiorentina decorativeness sixth successful Serie A.

Of course, determination are plentifulness of caller examples of players' careers going backwards since leaving United.

In 2016, United paid a then-world grounds £89m to motion Paul Pogba from Juventus.

He near successful 2022 and the World Cup victor with France successful 2018 is presently without a nine aft helium was fixed a four-year prohibition successful February 2024 for a doping offence - but successful October that was reduced to 18 months.

Anthony Martial, who near successful 2024, is now playing successful Greece for AEK Athens, portion Jesse Lingaard is contracted to FC Seoul successful South Korea.

Midfielder Donny van de Beek, who outgo £35m successful 2020, is playing successful Spain for Girona, who person conscionable finished 16th successful La Liga.

There are respective players expected to permission United this summertime arsenic Ruben Amorim attempts to stamp his people connected the squad and bring successful his ain signings aft taking complaint past November.

Among those apt to depart is Marcus Rashford, who has been connected indebtedness astatine Aston Villa and accepts helium volition not play for United again portion Amorim remains successful charge.

In addition, the United brag has told winger Alejandro Garnacho he volition beryllium allowed to articulation a caller nine this summer.

Will Garnacho and Rashford, a two-time FA Cup victor and Europa League winner, thrive elsewhere?

Those who ticker United regularly judge Garnacho, who is inactive lone 20, has not been helped by the unit brought astir by the deficiency of acquisition successful the United team.

They constituent retired that erstwhile Cristiano Ronaldo was 20, and not astatine his accordant best, helium had the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes astir him, whereas Garnacho has struggled aft being thrown successful astatine the heavy end.

In addition, the aboriginal of Sancho - who initially near following a quality with Ten Hag - remains unclear contempt scoring for Chelsea successful a European last connected Wednesday.

Will helium commencement adjacent play astatine Chelsea - oregon instrumentality to United?

"Like Antony, Sancho has had a decent play astatine Chelsea," said Stone.

"But if helium had been that good, the Blues would not adjacent beryllium considering paying £5m to nonstop him backmost to United.

"The contented with these deals is not what the players person done astatine their respective clubs, it is the signifier of the radical United replaced them with."