While Manchester United will be looking to sign new players in the summer, they’ll also have some talented players returning from loan spells.
United have always been ready to send young players away in search of first-team football, but the loan market has also allowed the club to move a few established stars off the wage bill.
We’ve looked at the 13 players who had loan spells away from Old Trafford in 2019-20 to see how they fared.
Aidan Barlow
Joining the growing trend of young British players moving abroad, in August, Barlow joined Norwegian side Tromso on a four-month loan.
The 20-year-old showed some promising signs during his brief spell at the club, scoring two goals in seven appearances, but he was released upon the expiry of his United contract in June.
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson
Despite impressing under Louis van Gaal in 2015-16, Borthwick-Jackson failed to kick on under Jose Mourinho or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The left-back went on loan to Tranmere Rovers at the start of the season but made just six appearances for the League One side before returning to Old Trafford in January 2020 – the third loan move involving Borthwick-Jackson to be terminated early after disappointing spells at Wolves and Leeds.
He then joined Oldham Atheltic but only had the opportunity to play six games before lockdown and was released by United at the end of the season.
Writing on Instagram after his departure had been confirmed, Borthwick-Jackson spoke of his pride at representing his boyhood club but added: “I’ve had many negative experiences which in turn have become lessons, especially in recent years.
“It’s revealed some truths in football most people won’t ever see (in due time).”
Joel Pereira
Once billed as a potential heir to David de Gea, Pereira has made just three first-team appearances for United so far.
After underwhelming spells in Portugal and Belgium, the goalkeeper joined Scottish side Hearts on loan ahead of the 2019-20 season.
He experienced a torrid time at Tynecastle, conceding 43 goals in 25 games as the Edinburgh club were relegated to the second division.
Dean Henderson
Henderson spent a second consecutive season on loan at Sheffield United and has been one of the biggest success stories on this list.
The goalkeeper kept 13 clean sheets in 36 Premier League appearances, helping the Blades secure a top-half finish.
With pressure mounting on David De Gea after a series of high-profile mistakes, Henderson could be United’s No.1 next season, while Jordan Pickford’s poor form has led to calls for Henderson to also get an opportunity with England.
#OnThisDay last year @deanhenderson returned on loan to @SheffieldUnited ⚔️
Incredible saves incoming… pic.twitter.com/KdgblvnK3Y
— Premier League (@premierleague) July 26, 2020
Ethan Hamilton
Hamilton had loan spells at Southend and Bolton in 2019-20. His season couldn’t have gone much worse.
The midfielder made 30 appearances in all competitions but was on the winning side just three times and both teams were relegated to League Two.
Kieran O’Hara
United have a plethora of goalkeeping talent at their disposal, meaning O’Hara decided to spend the 2019-20 season on loan at Burton Albion.
The Republic of Ireland international made 42 appearances for the League Two side, albeit the spell was most notable for picking up a six-match ban in March for biting an opponent.
He is now on the lookout for a new club ahead of the 2020-2021 season after being released by United.
Alexis Sanchez
After a disastrous 18 months at Old Trafford, Sanchez joined Inter Milan on loan in an attempt to revive his career.
Further fitness issues restricted the Chile international’s game-time over the first half of the season, allowing Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez to form a formidable partnership.
But he has been in superb form since Serie A returned, registering three goals and seven assists in his last 10 appearances.
READ: Alexis Sanchez & the tragedy of seeing great players reduced to punchlines
Chris Smalling
Smalling fell down the pecking order following Harry Maguire’s arrival in 2019 and decided to join Roma on a season-long loan deal.
The centre-back has been an ever-present for the Serie A side, making 35 appearances in all competitions at the time of writing.
“I will do everything I can to keep him at Roma next year too,” manager Paulo Fonseca told ESPN in May 2020. “I know he wants to stay, let’s see what happens.
“He’s an amazing man, so humble, so professional. He is adored by the fans and established himself as one of the leaders in the dressing room.
“It’s not easy for English central defenders to adapt so quickly to Italian football, the record there isn’t good. But he has been amazing.”
READ: ‘An absolute totem of the defence’ – 11 quotes on Chris Smalling at Roma
George Tanner
Tanner graduated through United’s academy and got his first taste of senior football during his loan spell with League Two side Morecambe.
He made 29 appearances in the first half of the season but was recalled and moved to Salford City during the January transfer window.
The defender failed to make a single appearance for the Ammies due to injury problems and was released by United in July 2020.
Marcos Rojo
Rojo fell out of favour under Solskjaer and joined hometown club Estudiantes on loan in January 2020 in search of regular first-team football.
But an ankle injury halted his progress and restricted him to just 90 minutes of action in the Argentinian Superliga.
The centre-back also faced disciplinary action after breaking lockdown rules on two separate occasions while in Argentina.
Alex Fojticek
Fojticek spent the 2019-20 season with Northern Premier League Premier Division side Stalybridge Celtic, making 40 appearances in all competitions.
The goalkeeper was released by United in July 2020 following the expiration of his contract.
Max Taylor
Taylor recovered from testicular cancer last year and even made the substitutes’ bench for United’s Europa League clash with Astana in November 2019.
“I always had a mindset of that there’s no way I’m not going to be alive after this,” Taylor told PA in November 2019. “But there were times where I thought, ‘Will I be able to play football after this?’ And there were times where I thought there’s no way I can get back to that.
“But I think the message that I want to get out to everyone is it is possible – and it is possible to do more than what I’ve done after you’ve gone through such trauma.
“It is possible to get back wherever you want to go.”
The 20-year-old then re-united with Fojticek at Stalybridge Celtic in January 2020, making nine appearances for the club before their season was curtailed.
📅 Nov 2018: Max Taylor starts chemo after being diagnosed with cancer.
📅 Nov 2019: Included in Man Utd first team squad after getting the all clear.
📅 May 2020: Signs new contract at United to stay at club for next season.
What a great story 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/vtzF0OVDG3
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) May 20, 2020
Jacob Carney
Having made a number of appearances for United’s Under-18 team, Carney had two separate spells with non-league outfit Stockbridge Park Steels in 2019-20.
The goalkeeper earned rave reviews for his performances and signed his first professional contract with United in May 2020.
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