It’s three years to the day since Jose Mourinho’s time at Manchester United was brought to an end with the Portuguese being sacked.
Having been appointed amid much excitement in 2016, Mourinho’s first season in charge brought about a League Cup and Europa League double as United looked as though they could be returning the club to their former glories.
But an early exit in the Champions League, defeat in the FA Cup final and finishing second to Manchester City the following season came amid growing tensions.
And the following season saw a poor start, with Mourinho ultimately paying the price for his strained relationships with his players and the club as he was sacked shortly after a 3-1 defeat at Liverpool.
Mourinho’s time in charge also saw a big turnover of players, with 41 leaving Old Trafford during his two and a half years – here’s a look at what happened to all of those players after leaving United.
George Dorrington
Having been released by United at the start of Mourinho’s reign, the young goalkeeper joined Huddersfield Town and spent time out loan at Ashton United.
He didn’t manage to make the step up to the first team with the Terriers, and joined non-league side Mangotsfield United after being released, although he’s no longer listed on the club’s website.
Victor Valdes
Be honest, you forgot the former Barcelona goalkeeper had played for United. After just two appearances for the club, Valdes made the move to Middlesbrough after being released.
That proved to be the last club he played for, and he turned his hand to coaching with spells at ED Moratalaz, Barcelona’s youth team and UA Horta, but now finds himself out of work.
Nick Powell
Hopes were high when Powell secured a huge move from Crewe Alexandra, but after loan spells with Wigan, Leicester and Hull, he left Old Trafford during the summer of 2016.
He subsequently made a return to Wigan and helped them return to the Championship in 2018 before moving to Stoke City the following year, where he went on to win the club’s Player of the Year award last season.
Oliver Rathbone
The youth team midfielder didn’t move too far away from Old Trafford after being released, making the move to Rochdale.
He made over 180 appearances for the club before earning a move to Rotherham United earlier this year, where he has made 24 appearances so far this season.
Tyler Reid
Another to exit United in the summer of 2016, Reid made the move to Swansea City, but made just one first-team appearance before leaving South Wales.
The right-back has subsequently had spells with Swindon Town, Wrexham and Woking, and now plies his trade in Finland with FF Jaro.
Joe Rothwell
Despite being named on the bench against Watford just a few months earlier, Rothwell turned down a new deal at United and instead made the move to Oxford.
After two years with the U’s, he earned a move to Blackburn and has proven a success at Ewood Park, with the midfielder being linked with a move to Rangers earlier this year.
Ashley Fletcher
Fletcher signed a four-year deal with West Ham after leaving United in 2016, but would only stay with the Hammers for a year before being snapped up by Middlesbrough in 2017.
The 26-year-old is now back in the Premier League with Watford after signing during the summer, although he has only made three league appearances from the bench so far.
Jimmy Dunne
Dunne made the move to Burnley in 2016, although it wouldn’t be until 2020 that he was handed his senior debut in the Carabao Cup before scoring on his league debut against Leicester.
He took in his fair share of loan spells while at Turf Moor, and earlier this year made the permanent move to QPR, where he has made 18 appearances so far this season.
Oliver Byrne
The young goalkeeper has certainly been around since making the move to Cardiff in 2016.
He’s had spells with Chorley, Blackburn, Bamber Bridge, Stevenage and Atherton Collieries, and now plies his trade in the Welsh Premier with Connah’s Quay Nomads.
Paddy McNair
The Northern Ireland international made the move to Sunderland after not quite being able to nail down a place in the United first team.
He spent two years at the Stadium of Light before heading to Middlesbrough in 2018 and has made 19 appearances in the Championship so far this season.
Donald Love
Love joined McNair at Sunderland on the same day in 2016, but didn’t enjoy his time there as much as injury limited his chance before being released in 2019.
He subsequently made the move to Shrewsbury, and can now be found at Salford City, where he has made just five starts so far.
Tyler Blackett
Blackett joined Reading for an undisclosed fee in 2016, and proved a favourite of Jaap Stam during the former United defender’s time in charge in Berkshire.
He then made the move to Nottingham Forest in 2020, before heading stateside with MLS team FC Cincinnati earlier this year.
Will Keane
Keane reunited with Mike Phelan when he made the move to Hull City in 2016, although a knee ligament injury later that year seriously hampered his time at the club.
After joining Ipswich in 2019, the forward made the move to Wigan in 2020, and has been enjoying a decent campaign so far this season with nine goals in 20 league appearances.
James Weir
Weir also made the move to Hull shortly after Keane, although his career has turned out much different since.
After spells at Wigan and Bolton, the midfielder made the move to Slovakia with FK Pohronie, before joining Hungarian side MTK Budapest earlier this year.
Morgan Schneiderlin
Schneiderlin didn’t quite deliver on the promise he showed at Southampton, and was sold to Everton in January 2017 for a deal thought to be around £24m.
Despite enjoying a turnaround in fortunes during his early days at Goodison, the Frenchman’s opportunities became more limited over the years, and he now finds himself back in his homeland with Nice.
Memphis Depay
Having proven to be something of a flop at Old Trafford, Depay went on to rebuild his reputation at Lyon and on the international scene with the Netherlands.
That earned him a move to Barcelona earlier this year, where he is the club’s top goalscorer so far this season with eight La Liga strikes.
Sean Goss
After leaving United, the German-born midfielder made his way to QPR, where he also spent two separate loan spells up in Scotland with Rangers and St Johnstone.
From there, he joined League One side Shrewsbury and remained there for two years, before signing a two-year deal with Motherwell during the summer.
Sadiq El Fitouri
The Libyan defender’s path to Old Trafford was certainly not out of the ordinary, having earned a contract at the club after being recommended by Phil Neville and Paul Scholes during his time at Salford City.
After a short spell at Chesterfield, El Fitouri returned home to Libya before a spell in Romania – his last known club was in Sudan, where he was reported to have signed a two-year deal in 2019.
Bastian Schweinsteiger
A signing that had promised so much, Schweinsteiger’s time at United proved to be a disappointment, with the 2014 World Cup winner falling out with Mourinho.
He made the move to the MLS with Chicago Fire in March 2017 before announcing his retirement in 2019, and now works as a pundit on German TV.
Kayne Diedrick-Roberts
Having been released by United in the summer of 2017, Diedrick-Roberts took in spells in non-league with Greenwich and Lewes, before moving to Sweden with IK Gauthiod last year.
He didn’t spend too long in Scandinavia, and after just a few months was back in England as he joined Bognor Regis Town, where he remains to this day.
Faustin Makela
Another youngster released in 2017, Makela went without a club for a year before joining Droylsden in August 2018.
The winger is still listed among the club’s squad, and he also works as a coach with A-Star Coaching.
Josh Harrop
Harrop signed a four-year deal at Preston North End in 2017, but an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2018 would see him out of action for almost a year.
The forward made 15 appearances out on loan at Ipswich earlier this year, and is yet to play a game so far this season.
Wayne Rooney
United’s record goalscorer returned to childhood club Everton, although his stay back at Goodison Park would only last a year before he made the move to the MLS with DC United.
He subsequently joined Derby County in 2020, and went on to become the club’s manager, keeping them in the Championship last season and staying on despite the club’s financial problems.
Adnan Januzaj
Having offered so much promise during his first year as a senior player, Januzaj’s time at United petered out in subsequent seasons with loans at Borussia Dortmund and Sunderland.
He joined Real Sociedad in 2017, and has enjoyed a relative return to form which has seen him linked with a move to Barcelona.
Guillermo Varela
The Uruguay defender was the first player to join United under David Moyes, but he went on to make just a handful of first-team appearances.
He’s had his fair share of clubs over the years, with spells at Real Madrid B, Eintracht Frankfurt, Penarol, FC Copenhagen and Dynamo Moscow, where he currently resides.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Having been linked with a move to the Premier League for some time, his eventual move to United didn’t quite work out, having come in for criticism from Mourinho for his performances.
Having been sold to Arsenal in 2018, Mkhitaryan would go on to turn his loan move to Roma into a permanent one last year, which has of course seen him ending up reunited with Mourinho.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Having been a firm success after joining from PSG in 2016, Ibrahimovic was handed a new deal for the 2017/18 season, although his second campaign didn’t quite work out.
He had his deal terminated in March 2018 in order for him to join LA Galaxy, and at the age of 40, he’s still going strong back at AC Milan this season.
Harry Spratt
Another player who made the move to Huddersfield, Spratt left United in April 2018 to join the Terriers’ youth setup.
The left-back didn’t quite make the step up to the first team, and subsequently joined York City in 2019 before heading to Ashton United back in July.
Jake Barrett
Barrett joined Spratt at Huddersfield, and like his former team-mate, couldn’t make a breakthrough in Yorkshire before being released in 2019.
The defender then made the move Stateside as he joined Seton Hall Pirates, who ply their trade in the NCAA Division I Big East Conference.
Indy Boonen
Despite training with the first team on occasions, Boonen never made the step up to the first team at United before rejecting the offer of a new contract in 2018.
He made his return to his native Belgium, although the young winger hasn’t quite set the world alight with KV Oostende.
Michael Carrick
The former midfielder didn’t leave United in as much as he retired from playing, and subsequently became part of Mourinho’s backroom staff.
He of course stayed on with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and took caretaker charge for three games before Ralf Rangnick’s arrival, winning two and drawing one before announcing his departure.
Max Johnstone
Having earned a move from Fleetwood to Old Trafford in 2016, things didn’t quite turn out for the younger brother of Sam as he went on to join Sunderland’s youth setup in 2018.
The goalkeeper then took in a year north of the border with St Johnstone before joining big-spending non-league side AFC Fylde but is now without a club after being released earlier this year.
Tosin Kehinde
The Nigerian winger never made the step up to the senior squad at United, and joined Portuguese club Feirense in 2018 rather than sign a new deal at Old Trafford.
After moving on loan to Danish club Randers in July 2019, Kehinde signed a permanent deal until 2023 and remains at the club to this day.
Jake Kenyon
Having been released by United in 2018, the left-back looks to have given up on a career in football, having been without a club since.
Ilias Moutha-Sebtaoui
Another goalkeeper who found himself released during the summer of 2018, Moutha-Sebatoui returned to his native Belgium with Anderlecht.
He didn’t get any playing time though, and now finds himself without a club after being released by Charleroi earlier this year.
Devonte Redmond
Redmond struggled to find a new club after leaving United, with a trial at Shrewsbury not leading to anything as he was forced to wait until January before joining Salford City.
Despite playing a big hand in the club’s promotion to the EFL for the first time, the midfielder chose to move on as he joined Wrexham, although his chances at the Welsh club have been limited this season.
Theo Richardson
Yet another goalkeeper released by United, Richardson moved to Lincolnshire as he joined non-league side Grantham, before making the move to Cleethorpes Town a few months later.
He spent nearly three years with the Owls before earning a move to King’s Lynn Town in March 2021, although it proved to be a short stay before joining Buxton during the summer.
Joe Riley
The versatile midfielder made the move to Bradford City after leaving United, but injuries took their toll at Valley Parade.
Having made just eight appearances over two seasons with the Bantams, Riley joined Carlisle in 2020 and has enjoyed better luck, having made 66 appearances for the club so far.
Charlie Scott
The midfielder never really managed to make a name for himself in England, with spells at Altrincham, Newcastle Town and Kidsgrove Athletic proving unsuccessful after leaving United.
He made the move to Hong Kong in 2020 with Premier League side Happy Valley, before joining Kitchee in August.
Sam Johnstone
One of a select few who can say they’ve been a success since leaving United over the last few years, Johnstone has gone on to establish himself as West Brom’s number one since joining in 2018.
Not only that, but he’s firmly in the running with England after making the Euro 2020 squad, with three caps to his name since making his international debut in June.
Daley Blind
Blind made his return to Ajax after leaving United, and has since been a vital part of the club’s re-emergence as a force in Europe.
Blind was diagnosed with myocarditis in December 2019 and has been fitted with a defibrillator. Despite collapsing during a pre-season friendly in August 2020, Blind has continued playing and helped Ajax to another league and cup double last season.
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