10 Worst Man Utd Transfers of All Time (Ranked)
Manchester United have had some of the worst and wildest transfers in the Premier League.
Manchester United have one of world football’s largest transfer kitties to play about with and have spent plenty of cash to try and achieve their Premier League ambitions.
And whilst it’s all well and good having one of the biggest transfer budgets football has to offer, it sometimes doesn’t pay dividends.
Since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson from Old Trafford, United have made plenty of mistakes in the transfer world. However, even the great Scot had his share of blunders.
This comprehensive review is based on meticulous reporting and is substantiated with stats and figures provided by Transfermarkt, a well-regarded football data site. We will assess each signing’s performances, their impact on the club, and the circumstances that led to their unfortunate legacy.
In doing this, we’ll consider several factors: the player’s performance on the pitch, their price tag and the value they delivered, the expectations set out for them, and the wider circumstances surrounding their time at the club. Here are the 10 worst Manchester United transfers of all time.
10. Angel Di Maria
Joining from Real Madrid in the summer of 2014, the Argentine was Louis van Gaal’s marquee signing as the club looked to move past their Moyes misery.
However, the Argentine winger struggled to adapt to life in England and the rough and tough nature of the Premier League. Combine this with the weight of being the club’s new star and it all went wrong for Di Maria.
Di Maria also, unfortunately, had his house burgled early on in his Red Devils career, which seemed to leave an even more sour taste in his mouth, unsurprisingly.
One season was all it took for Di Maria to find a way out of Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain offered him an escape route in 2015 after a trophyless season.
9.Bebe
Uncharacteristically, Sir Alex Ferguson chose to take a punt on the unproven Portuguese ace Bebe in 2010, handing Vitoria de Guimaraes £7.4 million for the forward.
On the recommendation of his Portuguese assistant Carlos Queiroz, Ferguson pushed through on one of the most bizarre transfer stories the club has seen in recent times.
The deal was subsequently investigated by Portuguese authorities on allegations of corruption, adding further questionable vibes to the whole scenario.
Bebe did manage to appear seven times for the Red Devils. However, his performances left much to be desired and he was subsequently shipped off to Benfica in 2014.
8.Eric Djemba Djemba
Signed and tasked with the job of taking over from captain Roy Keane in the centre of the park for Manchester United, Djemba Djemba arrived from Nantes for £3.5 million in 2003.
It was a tough ask for Djemba Djemba to take over the reins from the Irishman and a task that he ultimately failed miserably in doing.
In the grand scheme of things, splashing out £3.5 million doesn’t seem like the worst of mistakes, but his generally poor play and lack of desire made fans question who had even scouted him.
Two years later, United called it quits with Djemba Djemba and he moved to Villa Park to play for Aston Villa. Funnily enough, things didn’t go well there either.
7.Memphis Depay
Depay arrived from PSV in 2015 for £25 million and the hype and expectation surrounding the skilful Dutchman was massive.
Adding to the already massive weight on Depay’s shoulders was the burden of carrying the club’s iconic number seven on his back. Something which proved to be too heavy for him.
Memphis only managed to deliver two goals in his first Premier League season and it was clear that the Old Trafford move had come far too early for him.
Unfortunately, this transfer saga also has a sad ending. Depay was sent packing to Lyon in 2017 with the club only managing to capture £15 million for the winger.
6.Radamel Falcao
He was one of the most fearsome forwards during his time at Atletico Madrid, but when Manchester United acquired Falcao on loan from AS Monaco he was past his sell-by date.
Times were tough at Old Trafford and with the club looking for some answers post-Sir Alex Ferguson, they took a punt on the veteran forward with a £6 million loan deal in 2014.
Four league goals were all the striker could muster during his time in Manchester and the excitement following his arrival quickly faded.
Obviously, after this poor showing, the Red Devils chose not to pursue a permanent deal for the Colombian, saving themselves £43.5 million in the process.
5.Kleberson
The Atletico Paranaense man was signed alongside Cristiano Ronaldo for £6.5 million back in 2003 after he was part of the World Cup-winning Brazil squad.
As such, fans expected they were getting an elite maestro in the middle of the park. Nevertheless, Kleberson, despite his hype, failed to meet those expectations.
Injuries hounded the Brazilian at Old Trafford like a bad smell and this was ultimately his real downfall, rather than his lack of talent.
With no real run of games under his belt, Kleberson’s time at Manchester United ended quite differently from his signing day partner Cristiano.
4.Alexis Sanchez
Swapped with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Sanchez arrived at Manchester United from Premier League rivals Arsenal in 2018 with the English top flight at his feet.
However, the scintillating form he showed at the Emirates Stadium was never repeated for the Red Devils and his much-anticipated move was anticlimactic, to say the least.
Three Premier League goals during his 18-month stint at the club were awful returns for the Chilean and he was allowed to leave on loan to Inter Milan before joining them permanently in 2020.
We’ll never know what quite went wrong for Sanchez at United, but this is one of the club’s worst transfer blunders in recent history.
3.Juan Sebastian Veron
Joining from Italian outfit Lazio for £28 million in 2001, a hefty fee in those days, the Argentine was expected to play a huge role at Old Trafford.
Veron was as classy as they come, but his style and elegant finesse didn’t quite suit the rough and tough Premier League and he struggled to make much impact.
Seven goals in 57 Premier League games tells you all you need to know, and much more was expected from a player of his calibre and price tag.
Two years later, Veron was signed by Chelsea, ending his disappointing stint at United. This one is more of a ‘what could have been’ kind of transfer.
2.Morgan Schneiderlin
You’ve probably forgotten this man ever put on a Manchester United shirt and we wouldn’t blame you one bit. Schneiderlin’s Old Trafford career was as dull and uneventful as they come.
The Frenchman made 32 appearances in the Premier League for United during his 18-month stint with the club, scoring only once and providing zero assists.
It’s not the kind of statistics you want from a player you have forked out £25 million on and the midfielder will go down as one of the club’s most strange purchases over the years.
Schneiderlin was sent to Goodison Park, a level where his footballing talents probably belonged, and his swansong story of a big move to Manchester came crashing down.
1.Paul Pogba
Four years after leaving Manchester United, Pogba decided to make a triumphant return after some career-best campaigns in Italy with Juventus.
Such was his form at the time, United forked out £89 million for his services, hoping the maestro could turn around the club’s torrid form since the departure of Sir Alex.
Six years of ups and plenty of downs followed and Pogba failed to show any of the consistency and class that he demonstrated during his time in the Italian top flight.
A free transfer back to Juventus in 2022 is how this one ended and the injury-plagued Pogba never repaid the Red Devils for that £89 million spent on him.
