Powell joined Manchester United from Crewe Alexandra on 2 July 2012 in a deal reported to be worth up to £6 million, depending on future success and appearances. He was allocated the number 25 shirt that had been worn by Antonio Valencia, who took the number 7 shirt. It is also the same shirt number that he had worn at Crewe. Powell played his first match for United on 21 July 2012 coming on as a second-half substitute in a pre-season friendly against Ajax Cape Town in South Africa. Four days later, he made his first start for Manchester United in a pre-season friendly match against Shanghai Shenhua. He made his Premier League debut against Wigan Athletic in a 4–0 win on 15 September 2012, coming on as a substitute for Ryan Giggs in the 71st minute, and scoring his first goal for United in the 82nd minute after receiving a pass from Javier Hernández. On 2 September 2013, Powell joined Wigan Athletic on a season-long loan, following in the footsteps of fellow Manchester United player Tom Cleverley who had been on loan at the club. Powell then went on to score Wigan's first ever European goal, against NK Maribor on 3 October 2013, and later added the third goal in a 3–1 victory for his side. Powell then increased his European tally to three with a right-footed equaliser in Wigan's home tie against Rubin Kazan. On 15 December 2013, Powell scored an overhead kick in a 3–2 win over Bolton Wanderers. On 14 January 2014, Powell scored twice against Milton Keynes Dons in the FA Cup, overcoming the 1–0 deficit to help Wigan win 3–1. Powell was given the number 22 for the 2014–15 season. He started the first game of the season in a League Cup match against Milton Keynes Dons which United lost 4–0. He was later substituted for James Wilson. On 2 September, he was loaned to newly promoted Premier League team Leicester City for the rest of the season, with Tom Lawrence also making the move but on a permanent basis. On 1 November, Powell made his Leicester debut against West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League, coming on as a second-half substitute for Danny Drinkwater on 81 minutes in a 0–1 home defeat. On 27 December, it was reported that Leicester City had opted to terminate Powell's loan early due to the player showing