Burnley made £28m profit from masterstroke Man Utd transfer: View | OneFootball

From the Busby Babes to Fergie's Fledglings to the likes of Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, Manchester United's academy has been a conveyor belt of talent.

But for every player who gets to establish themselves at Old Trafford, there are plenty of others who don't quite make the cut at United and whose career follow a different path.

Michael Keane is a prime example of the latter category, having gone from being a highly-rated prospect in United's academy to being sold after a handful of appearances to become an England international and establish himself as a Premier League regular.

In the process, he made Burnley a £28m profit despite spending just three seasons at Turf Moor, one of which on loan.

The Stockport native came through United's youth ranks and made his senior debut for the club in October 2011, aged just 18, in a 3-0 win away at Aldershot in the Round of 16 of the League Cup.

Keane collected two more League Cup appearances in the following season, but with Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones all ahead of him in the pecking order at Old Trafford, it was no surprise to see him loaned out to Leicester.

Keane seized his chance at the King Power, starting all of his 22 appearances for the Foxes and helping them to finish sixth in the league and reach the play-offs, where they eventually lost 3-2 on aggregate to Watford in the semi-final in extraordinary fashion, with Troy Deeney scoring a 97th-minute winner just seconds after Leicester had missed a penalty.

After less successful loan spells for Derby County and Blackburn Rovers the following season, Keane eventually made his Premier League debut under Louis Van Gaal, playing 46 minutes in a 1-1 draw away at Sunderland.

Michael Keane turned into a Burnley stalwart

Chances of regular football at Old Trafford, however, remained at a premium and two weeks later Van Gaal shipped Keane to newly-promoted Burnley, where Sean Dyche was looking to bolster his defensive options to avoid a swift return to the Championship.

Dyche's quest ultimately failed, but Keane impressed during his loan spell, playing 23 games in all competitions and convincing the Clarets to sign him on a permanent deal for £2m the following summer.

The investment paid off immediately, with Keane starting all of his 44 appearances in the Championship the following season and contributing five goals as Burnley bounced back to the top-flight at the first time of asking by winning the league and conceding just 35 goals in the process - the second-best defensive record after second-placed Middlesbrough.

The United academy product remained an integral part of Dyche's squad as Burnley maintained their Premier League status in the 2016-17 season, his last campaign at Turf Moor during which he also made his full England debut in a friendly against Germany.

How Michael Keane's sale financed Burnley's spending spree

By now regarded as one of the most promising defenders in the Premier League, Burnley cashed in on Keane in the summer of 2017, selling him to Everton in a deal the BBC reported at the time to be worth up to £30m.

"Michael was high among the players we wanted to bring to Everton this summer and I'm delighted he is here," then-Everton boss Ronald Koeman told the BBC.

"We knew there would be competition from other clubs but Michael believes in the ambition of Everton and what we want to do and this is the perfect moment for him to come."

Keane's sale, coupled with Andre Gray's departure to Watford for a fee in the region of £18.5m, allowed Burnley to embark on a spending spree which delivered the arrivals of Chris Wood from Leeds, Jack Cork from Swansea, with Nakhi Wells and Jonathan Walters arriving from Huddersfield and Stoke respectively.

Wood's 12 goals fired the Clarets to a Premier League-high seventh place finish in his debut season and he was Burnley's top scorer in four of his five seasons in Lancashire.

Keane, meanwhile, has since gone on to become an Everton stalwart, racking up 212 appearances for the Toffees and scoring nine goals in the process.

Having lost his starting place under Frank Lampard, he was restored to the starting XI when Dyche took over at Goodison Park in January of last year, but played in just 12 games in all competitions last term.

The 31-year-old may be slightly falling out of favour with Dyche, but he remains one of his and Burnley's most successful signings.