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8 May 2013 is the day which would be remembered by Manchester United fans forever as Sir Alex decided to hang up his boots and retire from management. Managing a club for 26 years was an unprecedented achievement which would be very difficult to break for any manager these days.
The retirement news came as a shock to many United players who were uncertain about what their future holds under a new manager with a new philosophy. David Moyes was the next successor to Sir Alex, but his management was cut short due to run poor results which saw him getting sacked even before the season ended.
David's immediate successor, Louis Van Gaal, however, had a European as well as International reputation. He had an experience of managing clubs like Barcelona and Bayern Munich and also the Dutch National team. But he could not meet the expectations of the fans. The Dutchman's only achievement was an FA Cup title in his final season.
With the situation worsening around Old Trafford and the negative aura that surrounded it, the Red Devils deemed a world class manager who would bring the glory days back at the Theatre of Dreams. Mourinho's appointment was praised by many as he was a serial winner and had previous experience of managing in the Premier League.
The Portuguese is into his third season and won the Europa League and the League Cup in his debut campaign. Still, he has been criticised a lot for his defensive approach to the game which contradicts the United philosophy.
There is a saying that a manager is as good as his players. All the managers who succeeded Sir Alex did bring their fair share of players at United spending millions and millions of pounds. Though most of the transfer has been disappointing, few had performed better than the rest and helped United in some way or the other.
Here are the three best signings of United in the post-Fergie era
#3 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a superstar and a winner. He was won trophies in Spain, Italy, and France. The Swedish player shares a good bonding with Mourinho, and when the Portuguese manager was appointed as the manager, he didn't waste time to bring Zlatan from PSG on a free transfer.
Ibrahimovic was an instant hit among the fans scoring the winner against Leicester City in the Community Shield. He even scored in his Premier League debut against AFC Bournemouth. Zlatan's another significant contribution came in the League Cup final where he scored a brace including the winner in a thrilling 3-2 win against Southampton.
Though at the fag end of the season, he suffered a career-threatening knee injury which ruled him out for the end of the season, at the age of 35 he became the oldest player to score fifteen goals in a single Premier League season.
The injury, however, didn't allow him to put in his best performances in the upcoming season, and he left midway of that season for LA Galaxy. Overall in his one and half season of stay, he was irreplaceable in the team and helped United to win three trophies in his first season.
#2 Juan Mata
The Spaniard was one of the two players including Fellaini who signed during the time of David Moyes. At the time, United was struggling to get the signature of a world-class player. With the panic transfer of Marouane Fellaini on the summer deadline day, the pressure was mounting on David Moyes to bring in a top payer at Old Trafford. Finally United managed to sign Juan Mata from Chelsea in January at a reported fee of £40 million.
However, the situation around Juan is a bit strange. He is currently playing under Jose Mourinho who sold him to Manchester United from Chelsea where the Portuguese managed him at the time. But since he moved to United, Juan has not only performed on the pitch, but he is a fan favourite off it as well.
Juan is into his sixth season with the Red Devils. There has been the change in managerial personnel, but none could argue the value the Spaniard brings to the team. Along with Paul Pogba, he is one the creative players in the group and often bailed United out in tricky situations.
Mata is sometimes criticised for his lack of pace but makes up for it with his guile and creativity. Juan can penetrate any defence with his passing skills. The most noteworthy contribution is his two goals at Anfield against Liverpool which included a bicycle kick. Mata is still a crucial part of the squad and set to stay at United for few more years to come.
#1 Antony Martial
Anthony Martial signed for Manchester United under Louis Van Gaal. His reported transfer fee made him the most expensive teenager at that time.
The Frenchman announced himself among the fans scoring on his debut against Liverpool, in front of the Stretford End. He was the top scorer for United in his first campaign. Martial also scored in the dying munites of the FA Cup semi-final against Everton at Wembley. He was also the third youngest player to get the Premier League player of the month award.
The second season turned out to be a bit patchy after he got mired in personal issues. But the following season, he came up with a bang scoring in the opening two matches of the season. The arrival of Alexis Sanchez, however, made him drop to the bench and looked for an opportunity to prove himself.
The current situation is a testament why Martial cannot be replaced and needs to start the week in and week out. At the time when the likes of Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku are struggling for goals, it's the Frenchman who has come up and bailed the team out in several situations.
Martial is one of most skilful players United has in their ranks and cannot afford to lose him at any cost. He is United's top scorer in the current campaign and looking to add more based on his form.
