As this transfer window rumbles on, David Moyes has failed to secure any of our major transfer targets. This is the first transfer window since Sir Alex left the United job, so I am going to take a look at some of his best and worst signings as Man Utd manager:
Best Signings (in no particular order)
Eric Cantona – Leeds Utd – £1million – What a signing, perhaps Fergie’s first step to greatness was this steal of the enigmatic Frenchman from our massive rivals Leeds. We went on to win several league titles with Cantona up front.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Sporting Lisbon – £12million – A truly significant moment in World football was our signing of a spotty 18 year-old Portuguese. After 6 glorious seasons of dazzling trickery and wonderful goals, he was sold to Real Madrid for a World Record £80million.
Peter Schmeichel – Brondby – £505,000 – What a bargain this was. In 2000, Fergie himself described it as the bargain of the century. Probably the greatest keeper ever to pull on a Utd shirt, Schmeichel has won a Champions League title as well as numerous league titles.
Robin Van Persie – Arsenal – £24million – A completely different type of signing to the last one, this was not about incredible value, much the opposite in fact, but the way we managed to beat our biggest rivals to such a huge signing. Robin went on to out score every other player in the league to cap a title winning first season.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – Molde – £1.5million – Another huge bargain. Ole went on to create many memorable moments in a Utd shirt, including the goal that defeated Bayern Muncich in the Champions League final of the treble winning season, and scoring four goals against Nottingham Forest after coming on as a 72nd minute substitute.
Wayne Rooney – Everton – £30million
Like Van Persies signing, this was not about the value of the signing, but about the magnitude of the signing. Another 18 year old that would go on to become a club legend, Wayne is no our fourth top scorer ever.
The Worst Signings (in no particular order)
Bebe – Vitoria – £7.4million – Why on earth Fergie decided to spend such a huge amount of money on a player he had never seen before, with no top flight experience is totally beyond me. In three years he has made only two appearances for us and has been shipped out on several loan deals.
Diego Forlan – Indipendiente – £6.9million – Maybe I am being harsh in putting this signing on the list given Forlan’s obvious talent, but the reality was he was a bit of a joke in a Utd shirt. Since he left, he has gone on to score goals aplenty for Villareal and Athletico Madrid.
Kleberson – Atletico Paranaense – £6.5million – The talented Brazilian never made the cut at Utd. It was a shame, because he was seen as the alternative to Ronaldinho, who instead signed for Barcelona. What a mistake that ended up being…
Juan Sebastien Veron – Lazio – £28.1million – Another player like Forlan who was immensely talented but never made it at old Trafford. Somehow we managed to convince Chelsea to spend £15million on him despite his torrid time in England before.
Massimo Taibi – Venatia – £4.5million – One of Utd’s worst ever players. ‘The Blind Venetian’ is remembered only for his blunders, especially against Southampton to allow Matt Le Tissier to score. Four games later, he was shipped back to Italy.
Owen Hargreaves – £17million – After a year of negotiations with Bayern, United finally landed Hargreaves. Unfortunately, he never panned out at Old Trafford in his injury-riddled career.
Despite the awful signings he was remembered for, the good ones definitely outweigh those. Many of those players provided the backbone for success during his reign at United. There were many other contenders for the lists, especially the best ones, so feel free to add to the list in the comment section below.
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