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Manchester United recently completed the signings of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane (subject to medical) and are being linked with a host of top-class players across Europe. While United are well known for producing talented academy graduates, the Red Devils have made plenty of big-name signings over the years.
After the end of the Sir Alex Ferguson era, Manchester United are going through a rebuild. All the managers coming in after Sir Alex made signings according to their style of play. Some of these signings turned out to be great, others not so much.
Manchester United spending heavy on signings
Since 2013, Manchester United have been trying out different strategies with different managers in the transfer market. United have made four of the five most expensive transfers in Premier League history.
They have broken the bank for the big-money signings of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Harry Maguire and more recently Jadon Sancho. During this time period, Manchester United have spent close to one billion pounds on signings. Obviously, there's been a lot of hits and misses for them as well.
Here's a look at five of the worst signings for Manchester United in the last decade.
#5 Bastian Schweinsteiger | Midfielder
When Bastian Schweinsteiger signed for Manchester United in 2015, fans hoped the World Cup-winning midfielder would dazzle the Old Trafford faithful. But his stint at United was marred by injuries. The then 30-year-old saw himself on the sidelines with long-term injuries under manager Louis van Gaal. After winning multiple trophies with Bayern Munich in Germany, Schweinsteiger failed to replicate his form in the physically demanding Premier League.
Schweinsteiger was one of the signings made by executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, which had more to do with his status as a big-name signing than a player that fit the culture and the style of play at Manchester United.
In the words of Mr. Woodward, Schweinsteiger was a signing that would "send shivers down their spine." But it wasn't meant to be and soon Van Gaal was sacked, with Jose Mourinho appointed as his successor. Schweinsteiger then saw his game time considerably reduced. He eventually made the move to the Chicago Fire in the MLS in 2017.
#4 Morgan Schneiderlin | Midfielder
Morgan Schneiderlin was also one of the signings made in the 2015/16 summer window to reinforce United's aging midfield under Louis van Gaal. The defensive midfielder came in from Southampton having spent seven years with the club, gaining valuable Premier League experience. Many thought he was ready to take a step up to a bigger club, but Manchester United proved to be too big a club for him.
The Frenchman made only 39 appearances under Van Gaal in all competitions, and when the Dutch manager was sacked, Schneiderlin failed to create an impression on his successor Jose Mourinho.
The following season, he made just 8 appearances in all competitions, with just 11 minutes in the Premier League. During the January transfer window for the 2016-17 season, he made the switch to Everton, ending a painful 18 months for him at the club.
#3 Memphis Depay | Winger
Manchester United made Memphis Depay one of the star signings of the 2015/16 season. Depay joined at the young age of 21 after a very successful stint with PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie. He was handed the iconic number seven jersey on arrival but ultimately failed to live up to expectations at Old Trafford. The Dutch winger burst onto the scene with an impressive brace against Club Brugge in the Champions League play-off first leg at Old Trafford, making him look like one of the top signings.
Many predicted United had a future star on their hands. But what followed was a series of woeful displays from him, scoring just twice in his debut Premier League campaign.
The following season, he played just 20 minutes under new manager Jose Mourinho. He was later offloaded to Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyon in the January transfer window, joining a long list of signings that failed to deliver. The move helped Depay revive his career and he has now secured a move to FC Barcelona.
#2 Angel Di Maria | Winger
Despite the struggles under David Moyes in the previous season, Manchester United shocked the world with one of the signings of the season, breaking the then British transfer fee record.
Angel Di Maria joined from Real Madrid after putting in a man-of-the-match performance in the Champions League final. But the Argentine failed to replicate his form, scoring just three times in the Premier League, adding his name to a bucket of signings that failed to deliver on the standards of the number seven jersey.
His 12 months at Manchester United were also unsettling with trouble off the field. The winger failed to adapt to life in Manchester and an attempted break-in at his home only made his experience worse.
The former Real Madrid star also had a poor relationship with manager Louis van Gaal. Di Maria was forced to play all over the field in multiple positions, and Van Gaal's rigid style of play restricted his game. At the start of next season, Di Maria went AWOL, was fined by United for not reporting to training, and he eventually forced a move to Paris Saint Germain. To this date, the 33 year old "hates" Manchester United, and the feeling is mutual from the fans.
#1 Alexis Sanchez | Centre-Forward
Alexis Sanchez made the switch from Arsenal after Manchester United hijacked his move to Manchester City during the January transfer window in 2018. His announcement sent social media into a frenzy, with a very memorable announcement video.
Out of all the signings made in the past, it felt like the Chilean was a worthy heir to the number seven jersey. But he struggled from the very beginning. His dip in form wasn't gradual by any means, but rather a complete nose-dive. The player who had just won Arsenal's player of the season instantly looked like one of the worst signings of the season.
The former Barcelona star cut a frustrated figure at Old Trafford, struggling to make an impact in games. His arrival also affected squad morality, with his £500,000+ weekly wage causing instability in the dressing room and impacting future signings as well.
Many players were also forced to play out of position to accommodate the new number seven. The highest paid player in the Premier League finally departed in 2019 with a loan move to Inter Milan, who finally secured his services permanently on a free transfer in 2020. Manchester United were just happy to clear his wages off the bill, putting an end to one of the most disastrous signings of recent times.
