5 players who improved after leaving Manchester United

Manchester United certainly has the allure of being one of the biggest clubs in the world. Throughout history they have attracted a monumental fanbases and they are one of the most popular clubs in the world. In fact, even to people who don't follow sports, Manchester United is essentially a household name for them.

So, naturally, it has seen many great players come. Unfortunately for the supporters, many great players have also left Manchester United. It's a bitter pill to swallow, especially when those players go on to achieve success in their next adventure after leaving Manchester United.

So, let's take a look bittersweet and pain-staking through the history archives and pinpoint five players who improved after leaving Manchester United...

5 players who improved after leaving Manchester United

1. Danny Drinkwater

Danny Drinkwater is one of those players who came through the Manchester United youth academy, yet not many people recognise him as a former Man United player. This is probably because he never made a Premier League appearance for Manchester United and he was instead sold to Leicester City in 2012.

Drinkwater never looked back, though, as he became a Leicester City legend. The Englishman made 193 league appearances for the Foxes and incredibly won the Premier League with them. He also played for Chelsea and didn't have many highlights there... Except beating Man United in the FA Cup final, the less said about that the better.

2. Angel Di Maria

Angel Di Maria is looked at fondly by every supporter he's played in front of, except Man United fans. The Argentine did not play well in a Man United shirt, by any stretch of the imagination. However, he has played excellently for Real Madrid and since leaving United, Paris Saint-Germain.

Since leaving Man United, Di Maria became a five time Ligue 1 champion, two time Copa America winner and a World Cup winner. For added measure, he also won the Champions League and La Liga before joining Manchester United. He just couldn't handle the weight of the Man United jersey, we'll put it down to that.

3. Gerard Pique

Gerard Pique is considered by many as one of the best defenders of all-time. the Barcelona-born former defender only played for two clubs throughout his career (permanently), Manchester United and Barcelona. It's safe to say that Barcelona fans remember him more fondly.

Gerard Pique spent four years trying to break into the Man United team, to no success. Thankfully for him, in 2008, Barcelona came knocking, as they were impressed with his performances on loan in La Liga beforehand. At Barcelona, Pique won nine Liga titles and three Champions Leagues, playing as part of perhaps the best team in history, featuring a front three of Messi, Suarez and Neymar.

4. Danny Welbeck

Danny Welbeck is the only player on this list who is still remembered fondly for his Man United playing days. However, he certainly improved when taking a leap from Old Trafford. The Englishman signed for Arsenal in 2014 under Arsene Wenger. As much as Man United fans won't like to hear it, he played better as an individual for Arsenal, despite lacking the silverware.

However, that's not the point of Welbeck's inclusion in the list. The inclusion is more a result of his current playing days with Brighton and Hove Albion, where he was a key part of the team which saw Brighton play European football, a monumental achievement for them. To this day, Welbeck remains one of the most underrated players in the Premier League.

5. Diego Forlan

We're really rolling back the years with this one, considering Diego Forlan left Man United in 2004. He signed permanently for Villarreal after struggling in the Premier League, but it was a return to La Liga which he truly needed, considering he became a club legend for both Villarreal and Atletico Madrid.

He won the Premier League with Manchester United a season before leaving, but he lacked form in Manchester. In fact, he scored just 10 league goals between 2002-2004. At Villarreal, he put himself on a pedestal again, before smashing it at Atletico, winning the Europa League in the process.

Which player do you think improved the most after leaving Manchester United?