Ander Herrera was allowed to leave Old Trafford for Paris Saint-Germain after the Spanish midfielder demanded a new contract worth £350,000 a week.
The midfielder put pen to paper on a five-year deal with the Ligue 1 champions on Thursday after the end of his United deal at the end of June had left him free to sign with other teams.
United have come in for some criticism for having allowed the Spaniard to leave at a time when they have been more forthcoming with new deals for the likes of Phil Jones, Ashley Young and Anthony Martial.
Goal reports that Herrera was asking for an eye-watering annual salary of around £18 million in order to extend his five-year stay at the club which they were not willing to agree to.
The arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January 2018 has been a bone of contention for some time, with the Chilean’s huge £390,000 basic weekly salary being supplemented by appearance fees and other performance bonuses.
Despite only once making more than 27 starts in a campaign in all competitions in his five years with United, the midfielder was asking for a salary which would have dwarfed that of all but Alexis Sanchez.
But United were not willing to further inflate the wage bill at a time when they are seeking a buyer for Sanchez in order to readdress the balance ahead of future negotiations with players.
United announced shortly before the 2-0 home defeat to Cardiff City on the final day of the last Premier League campaign that Herrera would be leaving the club this summer following the failure to agree on a contract.
Despite not being among the matchday squad against the Bluebirds, the 29-year-old was given a hearty reception by the Old Trafford fans after the match when United’s players performed a lap of appreciation around the ground.
But he will now play in the French capital, Paris after agreeing to terms which will tie him down to Paris Saint-Germain up to the age of 34.
The former Real Zaragoza midfielder made 189 appearances for United after arriving from Spain in the summer of 2014 for around £29m, also making his two full international appearances for Spain to date while playing for the club.
