Ranking Manchester United's top 5 most expensive signings in history

Manchester United are one of the most successful clubs in England; winning 20 First Division titles, 12 FA Cups, six League Cups, and three UEFA Champions League titles. With this success has come some big backing for Manchester United and huge transfers.

Over the years United have brought in a number of World Class transfers, but have also missed the mark with a few. From the unbelievable tenure of Sir Alex Ferguson to the current regime of Erik Ten Hag, there have been several managers bringing in players for record breaking prices.

But, what are the five biggest transfer fees United have spent (according to transfermarkt), and how did they manage? Let's have a look.

#5 Harry Maguire - £80m (3rd biggest transfer fee)

Harry Maguire signed for United in 2019 for £80m from Leicester City - a fee which made him the most expensive defender in history. With this tag came a lot of expectation that was put on his shoulders.

In 2020, Maguire was named club captain as Ashley Young left for Inter Milan. Overall, it was a steady first season for Maguire as he played all 38 of United's Premier League games.

Since the, however, Maguire has came under severe critiscm for his performances as United struggled to find form in the league.

Last season, under Erik Ten Hag, Maguire started the first two games of the season as United lost 2-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion and 4-0 to Brentford. Maguire was then benched for the next four games, with United winning all four.

That was the turning point as Ten Hag never looked back on the central defensive partnership of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane. This season appears to be no different as Magurie was stripped of captaincy and was close to joining West Ham.

#4 Jadon Sancho - £76m (4th biggest transfer fee)

Former Manchester City youth player Jadon Sancho joined Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in 2017. The English winger began to attract interest as he was flourishing in Germany. He got 12 goals and 14 assists in the league in 2018/19, followed by 17 goals and 16 assists in 2019/20.

These numbers and performances earned Sancho a place in the Bundesliga Team of the Season for both those seasons. Sancho left following the 2020/21 season; he scored twice as Dortumnd beat RB Leipzig 4-1 in the DFB-Pokal final at the end of the season.

It was all looking well for Sancho as he sealed his move to United. However, he has been unable to capture the form he found in Germany, failing to get over 10 goal contributions in the league for United in either of the previous two seasons. Current manager Erik Ten Hag signed Antony to play right wing, a position Sancho plays, making it more difficult for him to play regular minutes.

In the past week it seems to have got worse for Sancho as Ten Hag claimed he was dropped due to poor performances in training. Sancho then released a statement claiming these accusations were false. It is yet to be seen if there is a way back for him under Ten Hag

#3 Antony - £80m (2nd biggest transfer fee)

Ten Hag worked with Antony at Ajax and was desperate to be reunited with the Brazillian winger at Old Trafford.

Like the others on the list, the big transfer fee for Antony meant there was immediate attention and pressure on him to deliver. He struggled to provide consistent performances, but there have been real moments of quality from Antony.

He is only 23 years old and is clearly favoured by Ten Hag. Therefore, there is clearly still time for Antony to show those moments of quality on a more consistent basis.

However, with the recent off field controversy surrounding the player, his future at the club hangs in the balance.

#2 Romelu Lukaku - £75m (5th biggest transfer fee)

Romelu Lukaku is a player who has been transferred for big fees his whole career. This is due to the Belgian striker's consistent output. In two seasons at United, he scored 16 and 12 goals respectively in the league, as well as seven over two seasons in the Champions League.

Lukaku did come under some scrutiny for some of his performances, but he continued to provide consistent goals. He claimed he was made a scapegoat for the club underperforming as he left for Inter Milan.

The reported fee Inter paid for Lukaku was around £75m, which is the fee United paid for him. Overall, Lukaku did score goals and they made their money back on him - making it a fairly worthwile signing for United.

#1 Paul Pogba - £90m (biggest transfer fee)

The case of Paul Pogba is a slightly curious one. He left United on a free in 2012, joining Juventus, then signed for United in 2016 for £90m, before leaving on a free again in 2022 when he again joined Juventus.

Looking at that, he can only be seen as a failure from United's point of view, but it is worth looking at the six seasons Pogba spent at Old Trafford.

He won a League Cup and a Europa League under manager Jose Mourinho in the 2016/17 season. Pogba was also named in the PFA Team of the Year in the 2018/19 season. The Frenchman got nine or more goal contributions in four of the six Premier League seasons he played.

Overall, the six seasons for Pogba at United were filled with 'what ifs'. The player had clear world class ability, but failed to showcase it consistently.

A term that often went with Pogba was "on his day", as he could easily be the best player on the pitch in any given game. But, ultimately he failed to do it often enough for various reasons.