Over the last couple of years, Manchester United haven’t been afraid to splash the cash as they aim to return to the summit of the Premier League after over a decade without the title.
The hierarchy massively backed former boss Erik ten Hag during his tenure at Old Trafford, with the Dutchman spending around £600m to allow him to be competitive in what is one of the most demanding jobs in world football.
However, it’s safe to say that some of his additions have been a complete disaster, looking nowhere near value for money – bleeding the club dry of millions in transfer fees and wages.
His first season at the helm saw him drop a fortune on Real Madrid star Casemiro, trying to inject that needed quality and winning mentality to the side to aid their ambitions.
He’s since made 100 appearances for the Red Devils following his £70m transfer, but the 32-year-old has demonstrated signs of decline in his performance levels as he edges towards the end of his professional career.
The Brazilian is just one of many big-money additions made by the club over the years, with many, like Casemiro, unfortunately not worth the massive fees spent on their services.
Manchester United’s five most expensive signings
Paul Pogba remains United’s club-record signing after joining the Red Devils for £89m – a then world-record fee – from Italian side Juventus just a handful of years after departing the English outfit.
The Frenchman arrived for his second spell with high expectations, understandable given the nature of the price tag, but ultimately, he was unable to provide value for money.
He would provide flashes of his quality during his 226 appearances, but was unable to demonstrate his talent on a regular basis, leading to yet another move away from Old Trafford – rejoining Juve for free in the summer of 2022.
Current first-team member Antony is the club’s second most expensive signing, joining for £86m two years ago, linking up Ten Hag in Manchester after their time together at Ajax.
However, despite scoring on his debut against Arsenal, it quickly became apparent that the hierarchy had massively overpaid for the 24-year-old, with his skill set simply not at the level required for England’s top flight.
He was known for his showboating during his stint in the Netherlands, often catching the eye with his infamous spin, which has often seen him ridiculed given his lack of tangible impact.
The Brazilian has only managed a total of 12 goals in 87 appearances, falling down the pecking order last season after his lack of form, with it remaining to be seen if he will have any part to play under new boss Ruben Amorim.
Jadon Sancho was another exciting attacking addition who arrived in the North West with high hopes of transforming the club’s forward line, after costing a mammoth £73m from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2021.
1) Paul Pogba
2016/17
£89m
2) Antony
2022/23
£86m
3) Harry Maguire
2019/20
£80m
4) Romelu Lukaku
2017/18
£75m
5) Jadon Sancho
2021/22
£73m
Like the aforementioned duo, the talent simply was unable to produce his best performances during his time with the club, even enduring a huge fallout with Ten Hag which resulted in his omission from the first team picture.
He would be sent back to his former side for 2023/24, before returning ahead of the current campaign – but the damage was already done in his relationship with the former boss, leaving on loan once again.
However, his temporary stint to join Premier League rivals Chelsea includes a mandatory option to buy for just £20m, with United once again losing a fortune on one of their big-money signings.
They aren’t the only players who have failed to deliver in Manchester, with one other huge signing making more of an impact, but still not living up to the sizeable sum forked out for his signature.
The player who Amorim has to offload at United
Amorim has been known to utilise a back-three system, as seen during his first game in charge against Ipswich Town last weekend, hoping to have a similar success in charge of United as he did at Sporting CP, where he claimed two league titles.
Despite his tactics offering more chances for the defensive unit, centre-back Harry Maguire could find himself plying his trade away from Old Trafford in the coming months, as the club look to cut their losses on the 31-year-old.
The England international cost £80m back in 2019, surpassing the fee paid by rivals Liverpool for Virgil van Dijk as the most expensive defender in football history.
Whilst in the opening months of his United career he provided some short-term improvement at the back, he’s since failed to kick on, coming under fire for his performances whilst also struggling with various injuries.
Maguire, who was previously dubbed as “one of the best centre-backs in the game” by Ole Gunnar Solskjær upon his arrival, has failed to make over 30 league appearances in any of the last two campaigns, falling down the pecking order in recent times.
He’s already suffered two separate fitness setbacks in the opening stages of 2024/25, restricting him to eight matches – accumulating a total of just 433 minutes of first-team action.
Amorim’s arrival could see the 39-year-old deploy the likes of Lisandro Martínez, Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt as the main options, making minutes even harder to come by for the former Leicester ace, who earns a reported £190k-per-week at United.
United’s new-look hierarchy has also implemented a cost-cutting approach which has seen the likes of the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson be taken off the payroll, but they could also save themselves millions by offloading some of the deadwood currently in Amorim’s squad.
With his contract set to expire in the summer, January could be the last opportunity for the club to recoup as much of the £80m transfer fee as possible, preventing them from having another Pogba situation.
He hasn’t had the impact many would’ve anticipated given his monstrous fee, with a fresh start needed for both parties after the appointment of Amorim if the Red Devils are to take the step to the next level.
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ByEthan LambNov 27, 2024