Ranking 5 greatest French signings in Manchester United history

Mikael Silvestre and Paul Pogba
Mikael Silvestre and Paul Pogba

#3 Paul Pogba

Villarreal CF v Manchester United - UEFA Europa League Final
Villarreal CF v Manchester United - UEFA Europa League Final

Manchester United's current number 6 is undoubtedly one of the greatest French signings. Paul Pogba is a product of Manchester United's academy but left the club to join Juventus after failing to break into the first team.

His heroics at Juventus convinced Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson's successor, that Pogba was the perfect choice for the Manchester United midfield. The Red Devils spent a then-record £89m to make Pogba their most expensive signing.

Some might believe that Pogba is yet to reach his full potential at Old Trafford. This has probably been due to the fact that he has been used in different positions by different managers and never got the chance to settle into a certain role.

Solskjaer's predecessor Jose Mourinho, despite the huge onus he had put on making Pogba one of his key signings, sometimes used him as a defensive midfielder and sometimes even on the flanks. It dealt a serious blow to the creative nature of Pogba's game.

Even then, fans were left spellbound by his visionary passes and aerial balls, often going on to find the right attacking target.

Under Solskjaer, though, Pogba has found his footing at Old Trafford and together with Bruno Fernandes he is creating problems for opposition defenders.

Standing 6’2” tall, Pogba is a physical presence in the middle of the pitch, drawing likeness with countryman Patrick Vieira. However, he betters Vieira in terms of his attacking acumen. The 42 goals he has set up for his team-mates so far show how good he is at creating opportunities for others.

He is a good dribbler and has decent pace to go around defenders. What adds to his skills is his long-range shooting ability.

Though with just a year left on his current contract, Pogba's Manchester United future is in doubt and the club should do everything in its power to retain him beyond 2022.

Paris Saint-Germain have been heavily linked with a move for Pogba, who could become a free agent next summer if he fails to agree on a new deal at Old Trafford.


#2 Patrice Evra

Manchester United v Aston Villa - Premier League
Manchester United v Aston Villa - Premier League

Manchester United fans will unanimously agree that Patrice Evra is a club legend, one of their own and one of their best signings.

He was a key member of Sir Alex Ferguson's squad that went on to create history by winning 20 Premier League titles.

Evra was one of two defensive signings in January 2006 along with Nemanja Vidic as Ferguson decided to shore up his defense in the wake of the injury to Gabriel Heinze.

Over the next eight years, Evra went on to write his name in Manchester United's history books. He started out as a wing-back and loved going forward to assist in attack.

However, his attacking prowess didn't mean that he was vulnerable to counter-attacking football. Evra perfected the art of tracking back and was one of the main components of the Manchester United defense that developed a reputation for being unbreachable.

Evra finished his Manchester United career with five league titles, three EFL Cup titles and a Champions League trophy. During a summer of drastic transfer activity, Juventus made Evra one of their signings in 2014.


#1 Eric Cantona

Red Carpet - 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards
Red Carpet - 2014 Laureus World Sports Awards

Eric Cantona was and is still one of the greatest signings of the Sir Alex Ferguson era. Leading up to the move from fierce rivals Leeds United, there was huge controversy and the Yorkshire giants drew the ire of fans by sanctioning the transfer.

However, the Leeds board had by then realized how difficult it was to keep such a turbulent character in the dressing room and the move suited both parties well.

What the new number seven did for Manchester United over the next five years is history. The Red Devils managed to win the league title in four of the five seasons with Cantona in their ranks.

Cantona was quite a physical presence on the pitch going up and down continuously, assisting in defense as well as scoring goals.

The Frenchman finished his career with the Red Devils in 1997. By then he had scored 81 goals in 180 games, averaging 0.45 goals per game.

This makes him an even better goal scorer for Manchester United than Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 118 goals from 292 games at an average of 0.40 per game.

Cantona, who remains the greatest Frenchman to play for Manchester United, was duly rewarded for his contributions at Old Trafford when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in English football back in 2002.

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