What happened to the 16 academy graduates given Manchester United debuts by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Ethan Laird became the second Manchester United academy graduate to leave the club in this summer's transfer window for an undisclosed fee on Friday, joining Birmingham City.

The right-back has joined the Championship outfit on a three-year deal, bringing his long-term spell at Old Trafford to an end. He has followed Zidane Iqbal in leaving the club on a permanent basis, following the Iraq international's switch to FC Utrecht at the start of this week.

Despite offering plenty of promise, either in United's youth system and out on loan, there was no clear path to the first-team for either of them, meaning permanent departures were in the best interests of all parties. They will both now be hoping to enjoy lucrative careers and earn regular game-time elsewhere.

Iqbal made just one senior appearance for United, that being awarded to him by Ralf Rangnick in December 2021, while Laird made two appearances for the club, both being handed to him by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer back in 2019.

Want to join our MUFC Pro club for a totally ad-free version of the MEN's Man United app packed with premium features? Click here.

With that said, MEN Sport has taken a close look at what has happened to each of the 16 academy graduates that were awarded first-team debuts by Solskjaer during his time in charge at Old Trafford.

READ MORE: Inter Milan confirm United's interest in Andre Onana

Tahith Chong

Chong made his United debut in January 2019, stepping off the bench in the second half of a 2-0 FA Cup third round win over Reading at Old Trafford. He made a total of 16 first-team appearances for the club before sealing a permanent exit on the final day of last summer's transfer window, joining Birmingham, where he had impressed on loan in