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Manchester United's decline since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement has been a difficult pill to swallow for the Old Trafford faithful. The club continues to be one of the most popular ones in the world but have struggled for success on the pitch.
It's not for a lack of trying though as United haven't really shied away from splashing the cash on players. 10 of the most expensive signings in the club's history have come after Ferguson called it a day on his managerial career.
The Red Devils have broken the bank multiple times since but many of their big-money signings have failed to work out. This is something that United fans will need to keep in mind as they get lost in the excitement of having signed Casemiro from Real Madrid.
The Brazilian is still a world-class player and could greatly improve this United side. But there is no certainty over whether or not he'll be a success at Old Trafford. We just need to look at some of Manchester United's high-profile signings in recent times to be reminded of that.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the most exciting signings that have not worked out at Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.
#5 Jadon Sancho
When Manchester United finally managed to sign Jadon Sancho in the summer of 2021 at the end of a protracted transfer saga, he was viewed as the missing piece in the United puzzle. Sancho's addition was expected to make a thriving Manchester United team unstoppable, particularly on the counter.
He had done exceptionally well for Borussia Dortmund and tormented defenders down both flanks. However, it soon became apparent that Sancho couldn't work the same kind of magic in the Premier League, especially down the right wing, the position he was brought in to strengthen.
The £76.5 million signing scored just five goals and provided three assists in 38 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils in the 2021-22 season. He could still come good for United but he has not delivered on his promise or matched the expectations so far.
#4 Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku is yet another player who was tipped to complete the Manchester United team. They were in need of a specialist striker and when the Red Devils pipped Chelsea to secure the services of Lukaku in 2017, it was viewed as a great move.
The Belgian striker had proved himself in the Premier League and even got off to a promising start to life at Old Trafford. He scored 27 goals and provided nine assists in 51 appearances across all competitions in his first season at United.
However, Lukaku struggled in his sophomore campaign and he did not seem to be at peak physical fitness either. He did not navigate the managerial change at Manchester United, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replacing Jose Mourinho, in an efficient manner.
Lukaku was soon deemed surplus to requirements at United as his poor ball control and link-up play saw him lose his starting berth to Anthony Martial. The Belgian was then offloaded to Inter Milan in the summer of 2019 for £66 million.
#3 Alexis Sanchez
Alexis Sanchez will go down in history as one of Manchester United's worst signings of all time. The Chilean forward had the best campaign at an individual level at Arsenal in the 2016-17 season. He scored 30 goals and provided 18 assists in 51 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners that term.
Naturally, he became the subject of interest to several top European clubs. United eventually hijacked Manchester City's move for Sanchez in the 2018 January transfer window and signed him on a bumper deal.
Sanchez never hit his stride at Manchester United. At the time of his signing, he was one of the best attackers in the league. He was not a good fit for Mourinho's United as he struggled to settle down in the new system.
Worse yet, Sanchez's inclusion meant that players like Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial were demoted to the bench and this hampered their development. He eventually left United to join Inter Milan, initially on loan in the 2019 season before the deal was made permanent a year later.
The Chile international scored five goals and provided nine assists in 45 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils.
#2 Angel Di Maria
Angel Di Maria is no longer welcome at Manchester United. But it was not really his fault at first. Di Maria was United's most high-profile signing under Louis van Gaal. The Argentinian forward was surprisingly offloaded by Real Madrid right after they had won the Champions League title in the 2013-14 season.
Di Maria was in sublime form for Los Blancos that term and he arrived at Old Trafford amid much fanfare. After getting off to a good start to life in Manchester, Di Maria's form waned and being played out of position in a conservative system obviously made him look ordinary.
He joined Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2014. But the fact that he left the club just a few weeks after he had vowed to stay and make his big-money move a success was not well received by United fans. He scored four goals and provided 12 assists in 32 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils.
#1 Paul Pogba
Manchester United fans were happy that the club decided to cut their longest running experiment short earlier this summer when they finally let go of Paul Pogba. At £94.5 million, Pogba is United's most expensive signing of all time.
The Frenchman is a phenomenally talented footballer. While he has the ability to produce world-class performances, he proved to be far too inconsistent for Manchester United. There were moments of sheer brilliance during his United stint but they were sprinked far and few in between.
He wasn't the sort of leader United needed in midfield and whenever the going got tough, Pogba went hiding. Managers like Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tried to build their teams around him but he was far too mercurial for that.
United signed several midfielders in the hopes that they would eventually unshackle Pogba, but the Frenchman never broke his ceiling. It finally became clear last season that Pogba doesn't have the legs or the discipline to cut it as a central midfielder in the Premier League.
His constant flirting with Real Madrid and his agent regularly undermining United did not go down well with the fanbase either. The Red Devils allowed their own academy graduate leave the club on a free transfer for the second time in his career earlier this summer.
