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#3 David Beckham
David Beckham was primed to become one of the greatest Manchester United legends during his days at Old Trafford. But he couldn't get to that height due to a deterioration in his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson.
The manager was annoyed with the winger's celebrity lifestyle and corporate pursuits. He felt Beckham's growing popularity was a threat to his authority in the dressing and consequently offloaded him to Real Madrid in 2003.
The situation was perfectly summed up in Ferguson's 2013 autobiography where he wrote:
"David was the only player I managed who chose to be famous, who made it his mission to be known outside the game."
"The minute a Manchester United player thought he was bigger than the manager he had to go... David thought he was bigger than Alex Ferguson. There is no doubt about that in my mind," said the legendary Manchester United boss.
#2 Angel Di Maria
The Argentine was at the top of his game when Manchester United signed him from Real Madrid in the summer of 2014. Di Maria had just led Los Blancos to claim the Champions League two months prior to his transfer.
The Red Devils had huge expectations from the attacker and gladly gave him their famous number seven shirt. He got off to a brilliant start, scoring twice in four games and winning the club's player of the month award in his first month. However, things went on a downslide from there.
Di Maria fell out with then Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal and that was the beginning of his end at Old Trafford. A drop in form and intense criticism from fans and the media ensured the attacker had a spell to forget at Old Trafford.
He was sold to Paris Saint-Germain after just one season, and here is what he had to say regarding his time in Manchester:
“My problem at Manchester was the coach. Van Gaal was the worst of my career. I would score, assist, and the next day he would show me my misplaced passes. He displaced me from one day to the other, he didn’t like players being more than him.”
#1 Romelu Lukaku
The Belgian spent two seasons at Old Trafford after joining Manchester United from Everton in July 2017. Even though he bagged 42 goals and 13 assists for the Red Devils in 96 games, Romelu Lukaku didn't have a spell to remember at the club.
The striker was the subject of intense criticism. Everything he did - his touch, pace, weight and ball control - was heavily scrutinized. There was also a lot of off-field drama, prompting the attacker to leave for Inter Milan in the summer of 2019.
Lukaku managed to prove Manchester United wrong during his spell in Italy. He led Inter to claim the Serie A title last season, bagging 24 goals and 10 assists in 36 games. He's returned to the Premier League this summer, with Chelsea splashing a massive £97.5 million to secure his services.
