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All the big clubs across Europe's top 5 leagues have a number of disappointing transfers they would love to erase from their history. In the Premier League, for instance, Manchester United are a perfect case study.
The Red Devils have maintained their status as the biggest outfit in England for several decades. With cash flowing in consistently, spending big in the transfer market to sign elite superstars has never been an issue. The concern, however, is that many of these high-profile signings never stepped up at Old Trafford.
From being the undisputed superstars of their former teams to becoming mere shadows of themselves at Manchester United and eventually leaving in frustration, things happened quickly in the careers of these players.
Most such cases were recorded at the beginning of the post-Ferguson era. The Red Devils responded to the retirement of their legendary manager by investing a lot of money into their squad. The plan was to keep the club where it belonged among Europe's elites. Unfortunately, it never came to fruition.
Without further ado, let's take a look at 5 high-profile signings who flopped at Manchester United in recent years.
#5 Memphis Depay
The attacker was lured to Old Trafford in the summer of 2015 following a prolific outing for PSV Eindhoven during the 2014/2015 campaign in which he bagged 28 goals and eight assists in 40 appearances for the Eredivisie side across all competitions.
Memphis Depay was signed for €34 million. He was given the iconic #7 jersey worn by players like Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham at Old Trafford. That further raised expectations on the shoulders of the Dutchman.
Unfortunately, the winger couldn't take advantage of the opportunity. He scored just twice in 29 appearances in the Premier League during his debut campaign and only once in the Champions League. That was followed by a fruitless outing in the subsequent campaign, forcing Manchester United to offload him to Olympic Lyon halfway through the season for a paltry €16 million.
#4 Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Mkhitaryan joined Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund for €42 million in 2016. Given his eye-catching displays in the Bundesliga prior to the move, the attacking midfielder was expected to light up the Premier League but he failed to deliver.
The Armenian's stint at Old Trafford proved to be disappointing. He couldn't replicate the kind of performance that convinced Manchester United into luring him to Old Trafford. He bagged 13 goals and 11 assists for the Red Devils before and was later sold to Arsenal for €34 million in January 2018.
#3 Angel Di Maria
Why Angel Di Maria flopped at Manchester United remains a mystery. The winger was in red-hot form when he made a €75 million switch from Real Madrid to Old Trafford in August 2014. That was shortly after he put up some heroic performances to help the Spanish giants claim the historic 'La Decima'.
The Argentine followed the footpath of players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Eric Cantona and David Beckham by inheriting the famous #7 jersey but he couldn't get close to their level of performance on the pitch.
Di Maria's time in the Premier League was a big disaster. From being limited by injuries to being suspended for diving and grabbing referee Michael Oliver's shirt during an FA Cup clash with Arsenal, things happened quickly in the Argentine's career at Manchester United. He scored just four goals for the Red Devils and was sold to Paris Saint Germain for €63 million in 2015.
#2 Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku was a hot target for many Premier League outfits in 2017 but Manchester United managed to beat the competition from the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool to sign the striker. He cost them a whopping €84 million.
The Belgian got off to a promising start at Old Trafford with a return of 27 goals and nine assists in his debut campaign but his level of performance dropped in the subsequent season with a return of 15 goals and four assists in 45 games.
Lukaku couldn't convince Ole Gunnar Solksjaer with his performances and never fit into the manager's system. Eventually, Manchester United decided to cut their losses by selling him to Inter Milan for €74 million in the summer of 2019.
#1 Alexis Sanchez
Manchester United were full of expectations when they signed Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in 2017. The attacker was lured to Old Trafford in a cash-plus-player deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan move to the Emirates Stadium and the Gunners pocketting €34 million as well.
The Chilean was placed on a gargatuan £500,000 per week in wages, making him the highest paid footballer in the Premier League at that time. What followed was a period of regret for both parties as the Chilean would go on to become arguably the worst signing Manchester United have seen in their history.
Sanchez was a mere shadow of himself at Old Trafford. He lost his brilliance totally and cut a frustrated figure during games. He scored just five goals for the Red Devils across two seasons. Fans felt huge relief when the Chilean was offloaded to Inter Milan in the summer of 2019 in a that was later made permanent.
