Chicharito celebrates after scoring for Bayer Leverkusen against Borussia Mochengladbach last weekend. | image source: AFP
A lot has been said about the current Manchester United squad which, though immensely talented, is struggling to register impressive results on the pitch.
The Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal has been criticized for being too rigid and employing tactics which make the team less effective.
Since arriving at United in July 2014, the Dutchman has sold or released 33 players (senior and youth players included) and some of the departures have been controversial.
Some of the players have gone on to enjoy success elsewhere and with that in mind, the following is a list of the Top 5 Manchester United rejects.
1. Diego Forlan
The Uruguayan arrived at Old Trafford from Indepediente in 2002 after the Red Devils hijacked his move to Middlesbrough for 6.9 million pounds.
He however struggled to establish himself at the club and two years later he left for Spain to join Villareal. He flourished for 3 seasons with the Yellow Submarines before joining Atletico Madrid where he did not stop scoring.
During his time in Spain, Forlan was top scorer twice and won the European Golden Boot on both occasions.
He was also a hit for Uruguay with whom he won the Copa America in 2011 and finished fourth at the 2010 FIFA World Cup where he was named the tournament's best player.
2. Ryan Shawcross
With the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, John O'shea, Johnny Evans and Wes Brown fighting for the two center back slots, playing time was never going to come easy for Ryan Shawcross.
Shawcross made only two league cup appearances at Manchester United before he was loaned out to Royal Antwerp in Belgium and was eventually sold to Stoke City in 2007.
Shawcross has been at Stoke City ever since and has gone up the ranks to become the team's captain.
3. Gerard Pique
Like Shawcross, the Spaniard found his playing time limited due to the presence of Ferdinand, Vidic, O'shea, Brown and Evans.
When a chance presented itself for him to rejoin Barcelona under Pep Guardiola, Pique could not decline the offer and has since gone on to lift the La Liga five times and the UEFA Champions League thrice.
4. Paul Pogba
There was uproar among Manchester United fans when it was revealed that he would join Juventus on a free transfer.
Despite talk of him being "undisciplined", Pogba was touted to have a fruitful career at Old Trafford but that never came to pass as he and Sir Alex Ferguson differed over playing time and contract terms.
With that he was let to go and since leaving Manchester United, he has not only won two Serie A titles but also established himself as one of Europe's best midfielders.
5. Chicharito
The Mexican knew his Manchester United career was over the moment he missed a penalty in an already won UEFA Champions League qualifying match against Club Brugge of Belgium.
After the match, Chicharito, according to an article published recently by skySports.com, was allegedly told by Van Gaal that he only had a one percent chance of playing for Manchester United.
With that, Chicharito was off to Bayer Leverkusen in Germany where he has scored 18 goals in 21 appearances.