Manchester United have always been one of the best clubs in world football. An iconic symbol of how far English clubs can go when they set their minds to achieving with the right blend of intelligent tactics, spirit and unstoppable self-belief, the Red Devils have tormented many a team throughout their long and storied history.
They dominated the soccer scene through the 1990s and early noughties under the stewardship of the inimitable Sir Alex Ferguson, capturing so many titles along the way, but after some rocky times under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, it looks as though some stability could be back on the cards with the charismatic Jose Mourinho entering the fray as manager.
Some big signings have either been made or are being touted by United with Zlatan Ibrahimovic already joining the club, while Paul Pogba looks close to finalising his move– but neither of them have made any contributions to winning titles for the side. So what about some of the club’s historic signings? Who have been the team’s standout signatures down through the years? Let’s take a look.
1) Roy Keane
Undoubtedly Manchester United’s greatest ever central midfielder, Roy Keane arrived from Nottingham Forest for a then record British transfer fee of £3.75 million back in 1993, but managed to repay them countless times over with his displays of consistency and tough-tackling brilliance over the course of his career.
The former Republic of Ireland international was the engine of the team for so many years, and made a name for himself as not just a brute force in the middle of the park because he was a great passer, could score goals from long range and knew when to turn on the style when he needed it – his iconic UEFA Champions League performance against Juventus in 1999 was perhaps the pinnacle of his personal ability to fuse dazzling showmanship with effective graft.
He was a true leader and a natural captain who won seven Premier League crowns as well as picking up four FA Cups, four Community Shields and a single, glowing, European Cup medal. He helped them reach new heights and kept them purring for the majority of their most successful period in the English game, so it was such a shame to see him exit the club in the manner in which he did.
A true legend who was adored by the Stretford End faithful for so many years, he should rightly be recalled as one of their best ever signings.
2) Eric Cantona
Arguably the first truly impressive foreign import into the Premier League, Eric Cantona was something really special even before he signed on the dotted line for the Red Devils from Leeds United, but the few years he spent there were surely his most marvelous.
A different sort, Cantona exuded a special aura of je ne sais quoi whenever he took to the field. Whether it was the way he flicked his collar up, played with an air of superiority or scored some wickedly extraordinary goals, he had the complete package of surreal awesomeness tied up in a neat little red, white and blue bow. He was something else – and he knew it, too.
Joining in November 1992, it didn’t take him very long to have an impact as he acquired a penchant for scoring some really important goals, as well as playing a vital role in securing their first-ever league and cup double in 1994. In all, he amassed nine major honours with the club, scoring 82 goals in the process of his enigmatic displays as he wowed spectators who, whether a fan or not, often couldn’t help but applaud his genius.
It was a stroke of genius to bring him on board because Le Roi provided them with the necessary flair to conjure magic at key moments and although his time was brief enough, it set the tone for their long-standing, majestic march to become the best club in the country.
3) Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
The days of £100 million signings were not even a fantasy when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signed for United back in 1996 for a mere £1.5 million, but he turned out to be one of their shrewdest and perhaps most invaluable captures ever as he surprised everyone with his knack for hitting the back of the net as a genuine super-sub. The Norwegian scored 29 times in that role for Manchester United over the years.
Looked to as a back-up after their pursuit of Alan Shearer had failed, the Norwegian wasn’t exactly a household name at the time of his arrival but he would quickly come to banish that view as he wound up as the club’s top scorer in the league in his debut season with 18 goals as United basked in the glory of yet another title. It was a great introduction to life in the north-west and although he rarely became a regular on the starting XI team sheet, he was often no.1 in the fans’ hearts.
It almost bears repeating but his immensely important goal in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich which secured them “ol’ big ears” immortalised him as a club legend, and deservedly so. That, plus he was instrumental in helping them bag 12 other trophies along the way.
Always mentioned with a smile by the fans, Solskjaer should be proud of what he achieved and will go down in history as one of the most humble, yet driven, players to ever join the club.
4) Ruud van Nistelrooy
Joining from PSV Eindhoven in 2001, Ruud van Nistelrooy was under a quite a bit of scrutiny from the press and the Manchester United fans to become a goal-scoring sensation worthy of his £18.5 million price tag.
The club had pursued him for quite some time before he actually joined and were keeping close tabs on him for a year before getting him on board because he had been carrying injuries, however, he enjoyed a fairytale first season as he netted 36 strikes.
In all, he went on to collect 150 strikes for the Red Devils, scoring 44 in his second and 30 in his third seasons, all feats which have helped him cement his status as one of their all-time greatest goalscorers. In fact, the former Dutch international is currently their 11th-highest scorer, ahead of the likes of Andy Cole and Cristiano Ronaldo.
He might only have captured four trophies with them after an acrimonious departure but his individual performances which saw him become their all-time top European goalscorer and clinical ability to fashion chances against some of the toughest defenders around means he was an intelligent purchase who gave his all to the famous red shirt.
5) Cristiano Ronaldo
Since joining Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo has enjoyed greater success than he did when at Manchester United, but the Portugal international flourished into the core of the world-class player he is today after joining from Sporting Lisbon back in 2003.
Nowadays, he’s a three-time Ballon d’Or winner and holder of a prestigious Euro 2016 winners’ medal who helped Real Madrid win La Decima, as well as their 11th European Cup but there were days when his greatness was questioned, when he wasn’t so widely lauded for his brilliance – and that was when he used to be one of Ferguson’s troops.
Although he wasn’t as well-rounded a player (his petulance often rising to the surface), he was nevertheless a proactive game-changer who helped blaze the fires of their prestige with some stirring performances and goal-scoring prowess which saw him rattle the net 118 times in six seasons.
He has honed his skills tremendously since joining Los Blancos in July 2009 but he will always be considered a great who knew how to entertain, get the crowd excited and play with a fearlessness which has always been key to United’s identity.
Who knows, he might return someday.
