Manchester United spent lots of money trying to return to their glory times when Sir Alex Ferguson was the manager, but they are still far from that. As one of the most important clubs of the Premier League and the world, the Red Devils used their economic power to sign many players in the last decade. And we ranked the best of them.
It wouldn’t be fair not to mention Paul Pogba. United spent around USD 116 million to sign the French midfielder from Juventus in 2016, breaking every transfer record by the time. He had an outstanding season during the 2017/2018 campaign, in which the Red Devils finished second behind champions Manchester City, and Pogba accumulated 10 assists and six goals in 27 Premier League games. However, fans are still expecting a little bit more from the club’s record signing.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been one of the world’s most talented soccer players for almost two decades. But when he arrived at Old Trafford as a 34-year-old free agent in 2016, there were some fans who doubted about his signing. As soon as he started playing, be became the team’s leader. He finished his first season as United’s top scorer with 28 goals, and helped the team to win the Community Shield, the League Cup and the Europa League.
Signing Robin van Persie from Arsenal was one of the keys in Ferguson’s successful final season at United. The Red Devils won the Premier League before the legendary manager retired, with the Dutch striker finishing as the league’s top scorer with 26 goals and also recording 15 assists. It was an amazing season for Van Persie, who played two more years for United before joining Fenerbahce of Turkey.
In 2011, Manchester United signed a 21-year-old David de Gea to replace Edwin van der Sar as United’s goalkeeper. It was not an easy task for the Spanish goalie, whose performances improved year over year. For three straight seasons, from 2015 to 2018, he conceded less than one goal per game in average. After his poor performance in the 2018 World Cup, De Gea certainly didn’t have his best season with United, conceding 22 more goals than in the 2017/2018. However, he also helped the team to clinch seven titles, including one Premier League and one Europa League.
