Ranking All the Manchester United Signings of the Post-Sir Alex Ferguson Era
Ranking All the Manchester United Signings of the Post-Sir Alex Ferguson Era
Manchester United have signed 18 senior player since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and with the January transfer window about to shut and United's business seemingly quiet, we have decided to rank them all.
These rankings are based on actual contribution to United, rather than how good an idea it was to sign them in the first place. It does not necessarily follow that because a transfer does not work out it was a mistake to try it, but they will be very low on the list here.
Of course, given the varying lengths of time players have been at United this is not an exact science. We have prioritised contributions over a period of time, but it has been necessary to fudge that a little for the more recent arrivals.
We have excluded players signed for the youth ranks—so no place for Regan Poole or Andreas Pereira on the list. Loan signings are also excluded, so no Radamel Falcao.
Let's take a look at the standings, starting with a non-controversial last-place pick...
18: Victor Valdes
A free transfer, so not much of a risk, but easily the signing which worked out the worst. Victor Valdes made one substitute appearance and one start for United before spectacularly falling out with Louis van Gaal—or at least being spectacularly fallen out with by Louis van Gaal—and then went on his way.
Now at Middlesbrough, having spent a spell at Standard Liege, Valdes will presumably not look back on his time at United with much fondness.
17: Memphis Depay
Memphis Depay has made the move to Olympique Lyonnais in Ligue 1 to attempt to rediscover the form which earned him a high-profile, pricey move to Old Trafford in the first place.
A talisman at PSV Eindhoven as they won the league in the season before his departure, and an important player for the Dutch national side, Memphis' form collapsed at United. In-and-out of the side under Van Gaal, and unable to convince Jose Mourinho that he should be starting ahead of the competition, his United career was an almost unmitigated disaster.
Only almost, though, because he will always have the mitigation of his performance against FC Midtjylland. Overall, though, he made very little impact considering the cost of his arrival, though plenty of that has been offset by a decent transfer fee recouped from Lyon.
16: Morgan Schneiderlin
Joining Memphis in the "signed by Van Gaal, used sporadically and apparently not rated by Mourinho" club is Morgan Schneiderlin. The Frenchman pips his former United colleague by virtue of a higher number of starts—36 to 25 in his favour—but there is not much in it.
His inability to recreate his Southampton form at Old Trafford was presumably in part down to Van Gaal's system. Where Schneiderlin had the freedom to roam from box-to-box a little more with Saints, at United he was shackled into holding midfield by Van Gaal's conservatism.
Many thought Mourinho's arrival would suit him well, but it was not to be, and Schneiderlin has joined Ronald Koeman at Everton. Clearly a signing which did not work out.
15: Angel Di Maria
Wildly unpopular among United supporters, Angel Di Maria's departure for Paris Saint-Germain was hardly mourned. He nudges ahead of Memphis and Schneiderlin by virtue of his contribution when he was around—three goals and 10 assists in the league in 2014/15, per WhoScored.com, was actually not that bad.
But after a great deal of initial promise, he faded fast, seemingly unhappy with Van Gaal, and more generally with Manchester, becoming one of the most disappointing transfers in the club's history.
14: Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bastian Schweinsteiger made a decent if unspectacular contribution under Van Gaal, and was initially completely excluded by Mourinho. However, the Portuguese manager has uncharacteristically relented, and the World Cup winner is back in United's senior squad.
Indeed, he started and scored an overhead kick in the Red Devils' 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
But Schweinsteiger's period in the wilderness and his not-all-that-impressive performances under Van Gaal combine to have him bottom of the list of players still at the club. There is a chance this position could improve if Mourinho makes more use of him, but it is a slim one.
13: Luke Shaw
This is a surprisingly low spot to find a player of the promise and potential of Luke Shaw, but it is a fair one.
Shaw has been incredibly unlucky at United so far, given he missed almost a whole season with a leg-break. Without that it seems almost impossible he would be so far down this list. But in truth, his time at the club has run as follows; patchy first season, awful injury in second season and untrusted by a new manager in his third season.
He still has plenty of time to reverse the position, but for now this is where he sits.
12: Matteo Darmian
Shaw is a superior talent to Matteo Darmian, and in the long run will very likely prove a better signing, but for now, but Darmian has probably made a better fist of his United career so far. Which is not saying all that much.
Used at left and right-back, Darmian has put in a few decent performances, particularly defensively, but is incredibly uninspiring going forward and his spot in the squad is one which could use an upgrade over the coming seasons.
He has become a player who is, you know, just sort of there.
11: Marouane Fellaini
There have been plenty of big moments. He has scored 13 goals so far, and a good number of those have been important. There have been decent midfield performances, like the one against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in March 2015, for example.
But there have also been a litany of uninspiring, frustrating and ineffective midfield outings, where he has gummed up the works for more technically gifted players around him. The booing at Old Trafford was disheartening and unnecessary but there is a reason why Marouane Fellaini is not generally popular with the United faithful.
He is just not that good.
He is a useful attacking battering ram, but that is not enough. This mid-table position is what his United career deserves.
10: Sergio Romero
Sergio Romero has been a decent back-up to David De Gea, which is what he was signed to be. He has generally performed well when called upon, though never given any cause to think he should be selected ahead of the brilliant Spain international.
A squad needs a competent second choice to its main 'keeper, and Romero is exactly that.
9: Marcos Rojo
Marcos Rojo is in the process of substantially changing the perception of him at Old Trafford. Signed in Van Gaal's first season in charge off the back of a decent outing in the 2014 World Cup, Rojo's reputation has been hampered by injuries and some rash moments.
He has also been less than impressive at left-back where he has had quite a few games.
However, he has now made himself a first-choice centre-back for Mourinho, forming an excellent partnership with Phil Jones, and, for now at least, proving the worth of his signing. He is well worth a position in the top ten.
8: Eric Bailly
Rojo has had a few more good games in United red than Eric Bailly, but the Ivorian's extraordinary immediate impact lifts him about the Argentina international here. Bailly was signed as a player for the future but proved ready for first-team action immediately. Injury and the Africa Cup of Nations have stalled his progress, but much more lies ahead.
He also nudges ahead of Rojo by virtue of the percentage of the time he has played well when he has run out for the Red Devils. So far, Bailly's signing looks like a masterstroke.
7: Daley Blind
The dictionary definition of a utility player, Daley Blind had a good season as a left-back or defensive midfielder depending on how the mood took Van Gaal, then a good season at centre-back and is in the middle of a decent season as a back-up left-back and even occasional centre-back under Mourinho.
He is not a perfect player, with the occasional lapse in concentration and his lack of physical attributes sometimes letting him down, but when he plays well it is a pleasure to see him apply his football intelligence on the pitch.
He has been a very fine addition to United's squad, and assuming he is happy outside of a starring role, could be around for a long time.
6: Henrikh Mkhitaryan
This is where the battle between overall contribution and excitement about potential becomes a little blurred. Obviously, Blind has achieved a lot more at United so far than Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but the Armenian's average contribution per minutes on the pitch has been incredibly impressive.
And the sense that there is more to come is unavoidable. If the trajectory of the past couple of months continues, Mkhitaryan could go down in history as one of United's best ever signings, such is his promise. He might already be higher on the list had Mourinho not taken so long to make him part of the team.
5: Paul Pogba
Now, if this was a list of "most important signings," then Paul Pogba would be top. If it was based on speculating who will turn out to be the best signing of all these players in five years' time, Pogba would be top.
He is fifth because he is still building towards his true value to the team. He has shown wonderful glimpses of it, dominating games during United's recent winning streak, but he struggled on the big occasion against Liverpool and had a few quiet games before Mourinho's switch to 4-3-3.
But make no mistake, if Pogba stays at United for the long term, he will be absolutely crucial to any success that lies ahead.
4: Anthony Martial
The next two picks were the hardest to separate. Anthony Martial had much more impact in his first season than anyone expected, but his travails since Mourinho arrived have cost him third spot on the list.
However, there is much more positive than otherwise about the young Frenchman's signing, and if Mourinho fails to get the best out of him in truth it will be a knock against the manager rather than the player.
Martial's explosive start against Liverpool and his season-defining last-minute winner in the semi-final of the FA Cup against Everton were both evidence of his coolness under pressure and his phenomenal talent. Given his age, he could be important to the Red Devils for a long time to come. He doubtless already has been.
3: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic pips Martial to third place here for three reasons. One, Martial has struggled a bit to adapt this season. The second is that Ibrahimovic was signed on a free. And the third is that he has essentially already done the job he was signed to do, which was to provide a short-term lift and guaranteed goals for the club.
He has done that in style. There have been some bad games, but overall his contribution has both been enormously positive and highly significant to the direction of United's season.
It has proved a brilliant decision to bring him to Manchester for a spectacular swansong.
2: Ander Herrera
Ander Herrera has been at United for two and half seasons. In that time, in spite of a being bizarrely irregular part of Van Gaal's plans, he has become a huge fan favourite and under Mourinho has finally earned the guaranteed-starter status he should have had all along.
Combative and technically able, he blends silk, steel and snide in the way the best box-to-box midfielders should. He has not been perfect, there have been bad games, but almost without exception, United's best performances since his arrival have featured him in central-midfield.
A potential future captain, Herrera has been an exceptional signing, and beats out his more high-profile team-mates here by virtue of the length and consistency of his contribution.
1: Juan Mata
In three years at the club, Juan Mata is averaging better than a goal or an assist every two games, per WhoScored.
He has moved around, rarely playing in the No. 10 spot which still looks like it suits him best but never complaining; contributing significantly and regularly.
He may not quite have lived up to the hype of his signing—having been Chelsea's player of the season twice, he has never been United's—but having him at Old Trafford has been a joy, and not just because he seems like a lovely chap.
Rather it his ability to knit together attacks, to find his team-mates in good positions, or find the back of the net from good positions himself which are the most impressive.
For consistency and longevity, Mata well deserves the No. 1 spot here.
Appearance data per Website of Dreams except where otherwise stated.
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