Where Are They Now? - Alex Ferguson's last Manchester United Starting XI

When Sir Alex Ferguson announced his intention to step down as Manchester United manager in May 2013, it was a notably distressing day for fans of the club after he'd won thirteen Premier League titles, two Champions League tournaments, five FA Cups, and four League Cups over a whopping twenty-seven-year period. Incoming Everton boss David Moyes did little to continue the work of his predecessor, leading to his sacking just eleven months later. Louis van Gaal became Manchester United manager a month later, with high hopes over his arrival after finding success with Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar and Bayern Munich, but he ended up being a disappointing appointment after only managing an FA Cup win following an estimated £317 million spent on transfers during his two year stint.

Being able to clinch the arrival of recently sacked Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho looked likely to lead to a similar level of success that Alex Ferguson brought to the club - especially with Mourinho's record for winning two Champions Leagues, eight league titles across Europe, and wins in eight domestic cups - but it seems that the issues which led to his departure at Chelsea are reoccurring at Old Trafford.

There are many different views on why things aren't clicking for Manchester United this time - failing to win in their last four home games and finding themselves knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the hands of Championship side Derby County - and it's resulted in a lot of fans looking back to the glory days under Sir Alex Ferguson, where they stood as one of the most formidable teams to play, and they would regularly challenge for all of football's biggest prizes.

After the official announcement that Sir Alex Ferguson would step down as Man United manager, he played out his final few games, where the final fixture had his side away to West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League. The result seemed irrelevant with most eyes focused on the last game of the Ferguson era, but it ended up being a surprising 5-5 draw. We look at the players who took part in Fergie's last game, explaining what happened to them since that pivotal day in football history:

Goalkeeper - Anders Lindegaard

Although a lot of football fans assume that Anders Lindegaard either returned to Denmark or retired, he's actually still in England. Not only that, he's still in the Premier League, signing for Burnley in 2017 after stints at West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End. Even after injuries to Tom Heaton and Nick Pope, Sean Dyche refrained from handing a full debut to Anders Lindegaard, instead signing former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Right Back - Antonio Valencia

Easily the only success story who remains at the club, Antonio Valencia is Manchester United captain and tends to be the only player who consistently shows leadership. Back in 2013, he was still primarily playing as a winger, taking on the famous number 7 shirt, but he reverted back to his favoured number 25 kit after he began to play more as a right-back.

Centre Back - Phil Jones

Still at the club but to the bewilderment of a lot of United fans, Phil Jones has become a frustrating figure at Old Trafford but remains in the fold for Jose Mourinho. Most recently, Jones missed the penalty which led to Manchester United's early exit in the Carabao Cup against Derby County.

Centre Back - Jonny Evans

A lot of neutral football fans would agree that Jonny Evans' football career properly started after he left Old Trafford, only improving with age, where he ended up being one of several leaders at West Bromwich Albion. This even prompted reports of a shock move to Manchester City after The Baggies' relegation to the Championship. Whether it was down to his loyalty for Manchester United, or it simply being nothing more than speculation, Jonny Evans signed for Leicester City instead.

Left Back - Alexander Buttner

Signed from Vitesse Arnhem in the Dutch Eredivisie back in 2012, left-back Alexander Buttner struggled to get any game-time under Fergie. He only lasted two years at the club before moving to Dynamo Moscow, spending fourteen games on-loan at Anderlecht, and returning to Vitesse in 2017. His return to Holland was expected to see a similar level of performances that originally saw him signed by Manchester United, but he was eventually moved to Vitesse's reserve team.

Right Midfield - Tom Cleverley

Following some fantastic distance strikes for United, it was expected that there'd be a bright future for young England midfielder Tom Cleverley, but his performances in the 2014/15 season certainly said otherwise. This led to a permanent transfer to Everton, where he went on to sign for Watford on loan a year later, making his transfer permanent at the start of the following season. The impressive form of Etienne Capoue, Roberto Pereyra, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Will Hughes hasn't helped his chances of playing at the highest level again, and an injury suffered over the summer and seen him miss every game for The Hornets so far this season.

Central Midfield - Michael Carrick

If Jose Mourinho's time as Manchester United manager comes to an end, Michael Carrick could be put in charge of the club on an interim basis, as he's currently taking on the role of Assistant Manager. He was an underrated player in his playing days, with fans of all clubs in England praising him as a reliable figure in midfield, so it would be no surprise to eventually see him in charge of the side he once played for.

Central Midfield - Anderson

Signed for an ambitious fee from Porto in 2007, Anderson was given the opportunity to be the next great Brazilian footballer but fell wide of the mark. A loan move to Fiorentina in 2014 didn't manage to kick-start his career, prompting a permanent move back to Brazil in 2015. He then moved to another Brazilian team before signing for Turkish Second Division side Adana Demirspor, where he's yet to play a single game.

Left Midfield - Shinji Kagawa

Stunning performances in the German Bundesliga made Shinji Kagawa look like a fantastic signing in 2012 but he returned straight back to Borussia Dortmund in 2014 when he failed to show his quality in any attacking position. He's remained in Germany ever since, scoring twenty goals in ninety-seven appearances to almost match the record of twenty-one goals in forty-nine appearances that he had before departing for England.

Robin Van Persie

The arrival of David Moyes tarnished the Manchester United career of Robin van Persie, leading him to scoring a far less impressive eighteen goals in twenty-eight appearances compared to the thirty goals he netted in his first campaign at the club. The next term saw just ten goals, where the Dutchman left for Fenerbahce, scoring fifty-eight goals in his three years in Turkey. He's since moved back to Holland, playing for Feyenoord, where he originally started his professional career.

Javier Hernandez

The Mexican often played as a useful super-sub at Manchester United but left the club on-loan in 2014, where he scored seven in twenty-three at Real Madrid, before permanently signing for Bayer Leverkusen in 2015. Chicharito netted twenty-six goals in his first season in the Bundesliga but only managed thirteen goals in the second term. Even with a poor second year, Hernandez was brought back to the Premier League with West Ham, where he scored eight goals last season and has only netted once in the current season.