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Four ex-Man United players set to appear in European Cup final following summer exit from Old Trafford

Manchester United have not had much luck in the transfer window since Alex Ferguson's departure despite spending almost 1 billion in the market.

Four ex-Man United players set to appear in European Cup final following summer exit from Old Trafford

Bengaluru, Aug 20: Manchester United have not had much luck in the transfer window since Alex Ferguson's departure despite spending almost 1 billion in the market.

There have been greater misses than hits. But some of the stars just after leaving the team found a rhythm in their new adventure and this has been the case this season also.

In a rebuilding process last Summer, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer let go of almost more than half a dozen names. But four of them have now found a place in this Club European final in the Champions League and Europa League.

Here we’ve looked at those four ex-United players from Inter Milan and Paris Saint Germain who will be involved in either the Europa League or Champions League final after leaving the club last Summer.

Romelu Lukaku

Lukaku endured a difficult second season at Manchester United and fell behind in the pecking order under Solskjaer. It resulted in him seeking a move to Inter Milan where he has rediscovered his best form again under Antonio Conte.

He has already scored 33 goals this season, beating the previous records of Samuel Eto, Diogo Milito and Luis Ronaldo etc. He scored three goals in the Champions League but his side crashed to Europa League. But his scoring boots has not stopped there as he netted six times in five appearances so far in Europa.

His brilliance couldn't have been clearer as most recently he helped his side reach the final scoring two goals in the semis. He now has become the first player to score in 10 consecutive games in the competition, after finishing second top scorer in Serie A.

Ashley Young

The fullback fell behind Wan Bissaka and Luke Shaw for the first-team role and only used by Solskjaer in cup games at the start of the season. Hence, when an offer from Inter Milan arrived in January, the 35-year-old could not resist jumping the ship.

He has not only played an integral part in Inter's league campaign this season but also in Europa League. He has appeared four times in the competition under Conte and provided the assist for Lukaku’s winning goal against Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-final.

Alexis Sanchez

Another Inter Milan and Manchester United player who would have the opportunity to clinch a European silverware. The much-maligned Chilean was almost forced out of the club on loan to set him off the wage book. Sanchez initially struggled to feature under Conte while his injury issues did not help too. But since the resumption after lockdown, he has been massive for the side, assisting seven times and scoring thrice in just 15 games. Sanchez, however, has not been used much in the Europa and played a combined total of just 46 minutes against Getafe, Bayer Leverkusen in recent months. He missed Inter's semis against Shakhtar due to injury and is a big doubt for the final.

Ander Herrera - Free agent

The Spaniard was a fan favourite at Old Trafford but left the club as a free agent after failing to agree on a new contract extension. He signed for PSG however endured an injury-ridden campaign mostly.

Also, strong competition for places limited him to just eight Ligue 1 appearances in 2019-20 and just 99 minutes till March in the Champions League. But due to injury to Marco Veratti, he was handed a starting role in both Quarterfinal and Semi-final.

Although with the Italian now declared fit, he may have to take a seat in the dug-out in the final. Should PSG win it, it will be his second European trophy following his Europa league win with Manchester United in 2016-17.

Story first published: Thursday, August 20, 2020, 20:36 [IST]
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