5 Manchester United signings that would have never happened under Sir Alex Ferguson

It has been five years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired as the manager of Manchester United and it is fair to say that the Old Trafford devotees are still waiting for the glory days to return. The Scottish manager is widely regarded as the greatest British manager of all time, and his exploits with Manchester United are well known throughout the world.

Ferguson stepped down after 26 glorious years at Manchester United. The former United manager made Old Trafford a fortress, a place where teams were frightened to play the home side. He conquered England 13 times - the most by any manager in the Premier League era.

But sadly the number of Premier League titles won by United remain 13, as they have failed to recreate their best form for the last five seasons.

Since the legendary Scotsman retired, United have been managed by David Moyes who’s reign as the United boss failed miserably with United finishing seventh under his management. Ryan Giggs, the legendary United winger did serve as an interim manager upon David Moyes' departure.

Then came the Dutchman Louis van Gaal who changed united’s playing style. Known to exhibit flair and dynamism, United were always the side to watch, but under Van Gaal what the fans got were low tempo games which as everybody knows - were boring.

Van Gaal was relieved of his duties after two seasons, and then came the special one - Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese manager will enter his third year as the United boss next season, and his stay in Manchester so far can be arguably termed as non-satisfactory.

Manchester United did win the Europa league, League Cup and the Community Shield under the former Chelsea manager’s guidance, but a club with such a glorious past deserve more.

United haven’t even come close to winning the Premier League crown since Sir Alex left. The Scotsman did have his own way with the players. Over the years many great players have donned the United shirt.

But in the last five years, many players have come and gone, this is very unlike Manchester United. There have been misfits in terms of players which one can hardly expect under Ferguson's management. Here we present to you five players whom Sir Alex would have never signed.

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#5 Bastian Schweinsteiger

Bastian!

The German legend is truly one of the greatest midfielders of all time. The former Bayern Munich man is a serial winner with a plethora of titles won at the Bavarian club.

Schweinsteiger is a World Cup winner, a competition he won in 2014 when Germany defeated Argentina to claim their fourth world championship. With a status of that of a bona fide champion, some would really question his presence on the list.

Despite being such a great player, the sad part for Manchester Untied is that Schweinsteiger was past his prime when he arrived at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex might have signed the German when he was younger, but signing a veteran who was way past his prime to control the midfield of Manchester United was never going to happen under the Scottish manager.

Bastian spent 2 dull seasons at Manchester United after being signed by Louis van Gaal in 2015. He might have done wonders for the Red Devils had he made the switch 5 years prior, but with form and age not on his side, the German couldn’t do much and was offloaded after 2 seasons.

#4 Radamel Falcao

Falcao

The Colombian forward was one of the best strikers in the world. He spent 2 seasons at Atletico Madrid, establishing himself as a prolific goalscorer. Sadly the Colombian hasn’t been able to recreate his former goalscoring exploits since leaving the Spanish capital.

Falcao came to United in 2014 when they already had a plethora of attacking options in their camp. With players like Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Angel di Maria and Juan Mata in the side, there was no dire need to sign the Colombian, let alone on loan.

This would have never happened under Sir Alex's rule, as the Scotsman was a firm believer in utilizing talent at hand, and most importantly the stability of the team. Falcao never really got going. The Colombian failed to be a regular starter for Manchester Untied.

His spell with the Red Devils was a disaster, a disaster that wouldn’t have occurred under Sir Alex's rule.

#3 Memphis Depay

Memphis in United's colours

The man tipped to be the next Cristiano Ronaldo was given the number 7 jersey by Louis van Gaal.

The Dutchman bought his compatriot from PSV in a bid to bring the attacking prowess back to Manchester United. With 7 goals in 53 appearances, Depay’s stay at Manchester United was forgettable.

Sir Alex was a master of finding talent - be it in the market or in the United academy, the great Scotsman always had a plan.

United had young starlets like Wilfred Zaha - who remains the last signing of the Ferguson era, and a young lad named Adnan Januzaj. The two wingers were promising prospects, but the new United manager Louis van Gaal believed his fellow Dutchman would bring his fine form in Eredivisie to the Premier League.

But little did the Dutchman know that the level of Premier League football is way ahead of what is obtained in the Dutch League.

Memphis did show promise, but was a disappointment more often than not. One of the worst signings made by Manchester United in recent years would have never happened had Sir Alex Ferguson been in charge of Manchester United.

#2 Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez

Sir Alex Ferguson was known to raise young talents and transform them into world beaters. Look at Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs - the list goes on and on.

So that brings us to the Chilean - Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean international moved to Manchester United from Arsenal in the January transfer window, and it is fair to say that he hasn’t lived up to the hype. But keeping everything aside, the main question remains - did United make the right call?

Did they really need the services of Alexis Sanchez? Was there really a need for a left winger when they already had Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial?

Jose Mourinho is the best man to answer these questions, but one thing we are sure of is that Sir Alex Ferguson would have never hampered young player’s progress by signing a player from rivals.

Since Sanchez came, the opportunities have been bleak for both Martial and Rashford, this surely will affect their progress.

With all the talent in the world, Rashford and Martial are arguably two of the hottest youngsters in Europe and need regular football in order to fulfill their potential.

In 2004-05 Chelsea claimed the Premier League title. They repeated their success the following season as well. During this period Sir Alex groomed two young men - Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. The patience paid off as United won three successive titles from 2006 to 2009.

Keeping history in mind, the same needs to be done this time as well. Unluckily for Martial and Rashford, the Scotsman isn’t the man in charge anymore.

#1 Marouane Fellaini

Fellaini - plan B

Marouane Fellaini was the first player signed by Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor David Moyes. The Belgian has spent the last 5 seasons at Old Trafford - this to many is a surprise.

Fellaini has faced the wrath of the United fan base one too many times for his careless approach and frequent errors. The towering Belgian does possess aerial ability, but that remains his only notable asset at.

During the 26 years of Ferguson's reign, United had a plethora of midfield generals who had the potential to control an entire game from the middle. Sadly the same cant be said about Fellaini, as the Belgian looks lost more often than not with the ball at his feet.

From players like Paul Scholes and Roy Keane to Marouane Fellaini - the transition is hard to believe, something which Sir Alex would have avoided at all costs.