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Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's comments after signing former Argentina star Juan Sebastian Veron for the Red Devils have found a way to return to the spotlight. The Scotsman said he never thought he'd ever spend as much money on a footballer as he did.
The year was 2001 and Manchester United was in need of reinforcement in the center of the pitch. Veron was one of the biggest names in the sport at the time, thanks to his impressive performances in the Italian Serie A.
Sir Alex Ferguson pulled the strings on the Argentine and succeeded in luring him to Old Trafford ahead of the 2001-02 campaign. Manchester United had to break the bank to sign the midfielder as they splashed £28.1 million on his acquisition from Lazio, making him the most expensive signing in English football at the time.
Veron penned a five-year deal at Old Trafford and was welcomed with open arms. Speaking at the player's unveiling, Sir Alex Ferguson couldn't help but speak about the cost of his transfer.
"I never thought I'd spend this much money on a footballer," the former Manchester United manager said, as quoted by DailyStar. "I think he's coming into great years of his career and he will peak and we'll get the benefit of that. He is a world-class, fantastic footballer with a vision of a game we can use."
Unfortunately, Veron's arrival at Manchester United didn't produce the desired result. The Argentine struggled to impress with his performances and ended up being tagged a 'flop' in the Premier League.
He ended up making 82 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions during his two-year spell at Old Trafford, recording 11 goals and 15 assists to his name. The club eventually decided to cut their loss by offloading him to Chelsea for £14 million in the summer of 2023.
Areas Manchester United should consider addressing in winter transfer window
The Red Devils have endured a torrid start to the season, with their performances and results leaving more questions than answers so far. The upcoming winter transfer window presents them with an opportunity to address certain areas of their squad.
To start with, their attack has been nothing to write home about. Marcus Rashford has been a mere shadow of himself. Jadon Sancho remains ostracized while the likes of Antony and Anthony Martial continue to struggle.
In midfield, Casemiro has been unreliable of late while the entire defense and goalkeeper positions need to be looked at owing to how the team has been conceding goals since the season kicked off. It remains to be seen what will be done by the club when the transfer window reopens in January.
