He would probably think a lot better of him if he signed the contracts they were offering him. The boy ran down his contract purposely, so he could leave for a paltry fee and was worth an eight figure fee in less than one year.
It is a bit ridiculous to act as though Manchester United never let go of players that could have helped Newcastle United at a point in time. Even the likes of Diouf, Tosic, Simpson, Shawcross, etc. could have contributed at this club. He generally made the moves that were best for Manchester United, but it is a huge club and so much talent comes and goes. Smith, Butt, and Obertan are just poor chocies. The first two were immediately regrettable investments on players who were not the same physically after years of injuries and playing at the top level. Obertan was an acceptable risk to take who simply hasn't worked out and only racks up appearances at NUFC because there has not been proper recruitment to replace him.
Ryan Shawcross fucking moonwalks into the current Man U defence.