Darren Fletcher once said it was a ‘sad day’ at Man Utd when ‘top player’ was sold, now Wayne Rooney wants him re-signed

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Manchester United’s transfer record since Sir Alex Ferguson departed has been full of mistakes both incoming and outgoing.

There was a time under the legendary manager that leaving often meant a play wasn’t good enough and this would become clear in subsequent years.

Old Trafford learned to trust the club, but this is now far from the truth with several recent examples of Manchester United letting academy players leave only for it to look like a mistake.

Ineos‘ extreme cost-cutting measures have led to decisions which few fans would be able to get on board with. On the pitch, this is the case with no players said to be deemed untouchable right now.

In the past few months, Kobbie Mainoo has had his unsellable tag removed. Along with this, United were actively looking to sell Alejandro Garnacho.

These departures would go against what it means to be United, with the academy such a big part of the club. The same situation existed around the sale of another academy gem nearly 11 years ago in 2014.

It was an exit which multiple former players have criticised. With Darren Fletcher is among those to express annoyance over the years.

Darren Fletcher labelled Danny Welbeck exit as a ‘sad day’

When Louis van Gaal arrived at Manchester United in 2014, it quickly became clear he was going to clean house with several exits.

One deal late in the summer transfer window saw United sell academy graduate Danny Welbeck to Arsenal for £16m.

Speaking in 2017, former United midfielder and current technical director, Fletcher, told ESPN FC that selling Welbeck didn’t go down well.

“That’s not me having a go at anyone [over players who were sold under Van Gaal], but the day Danny Welbeck was sold to Arsenal was a sad day.

“He’s what a Manchester United player should be about – a local lad, young, great player, team player, somebody who sacrificed himself for the greater good of the team, loved by his team-mates.

“He was on the brink of becoming a top, top player and he would have been a top player for United.”

Welbeck was still young at the time and is the kind of striker that could have been perfect from the bench even today.

Gary Neville recently said he wished United never sold Welbeck, and now Wayne Rooney has joined this opinion.

• READ MORE: Who is Wayne Rooney? Wife, children, net worth, stats and more

Wayne Rooney now admits he would like to see Danny Welbeck at Manchester United

Similarly to the sentiment shared by Neville and Fletcher, Roy Keane also believes a mistake was made in selling Welbeck.

Speaking on Sunday for the BBC during FA Cup coverage, Rooney joined this group, going one step further to suggest he’d like the 34-year-old back at United.

“Danny, he’s great to play alongside and if I’m being completely honest, I’d would probably still like to see him here playing for Manchester United.

“He scored goals throughout his career, had injuries in early part of his career, but seems to have got over them and he’s having a fantastic season.”

Premier League goals in 2024/25

This on the surface seems like a crazy claim, but Welbeck has outscored both Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund combined.

Realistically, it would not take much to see an improvement for United up front but keeping Welbeck all those years ago would have been the correct decision.