5 high-profile signings who flopped at Manchester United

#3 Angel Di Maria

A failed stint for the Argentine at Manchester United

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

Lukaku didn't fit into Solksjaer's system

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

Biggest flop in Manchester United history?

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.