Manchester United chief David Gill has explained why Louis Saha was sold to Everton and Mikael Silvestre to Arsenal.
He said: "We like a few surprises! Mikael had been with us for nine years, played over 300 games for the club and done fantastically well.
"He was out injured for most of last season and when he came back he wanted to play again.
"As with Saha, I think everyone felt it was the right time for him to move on to a new challenge.
"Louis was a decision that was taken by Alex, the player and the club. There were discussions over the summer with a few other clubs, but Louis liked what he heard when he met with David Moyes and decided Everton was where he wanted to go."