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Manchester United have arguably the richest history in the Premier League but it has taken countless signings to put them at the top of the food chain. Sir Alex Ferguson always had a keen eye for transfers.
However, there were also times when he failed to identify the right prospects. Ferguson would often scout exciting talents by himself while the four managers that have followed him normally delegated that duty to the scouts.
Manchester United have never shied away from dipping into the market in January
The 13-time Premier League champions have often dipped into the January transfer market. Players like Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic, Andy Cole, and Bruno Fernandes are evidence of that. There are also some players who have proved that January is not the best time of the year to invest in new talent.
On that note, let us take a look at the 5 worst January signings in Manchester United history.
Note: Players that were signed on loan were not considered for this list.
#5 Diego Forlan (2002-2004)
Diego Forlan is perhaps one of the few players to become a superstar after leaving Manchester United. The Uruguayan international signed for the Red Devils in January 2002, as they swooped in for him away from Middlesbrough in the 13th hour. Sir Alex Ferguson was looking for a backup to Ruud van Nistelrooy and he believed the Independiente ace would do the trick.
Despite making 18 appearances across all competitions in the 2001-02 season, the South American failed to score a goal. Forlan got off the mark the following campaign and also scored important goals against Chelsea in the Premier League and the EFL Cup. He played his part in winning the 2002-03 league title, but could never turn into a talisman for the Red Devils.
Forlan had a quiet 2003-04 season, following which he was sold in the summer. He later went on to make a name at Atletico Madrid while also starring for his national team at the 2010 World Cup.
Manchester United fans still have fond memories of him. However, the hierarchy at the club will regret that a player of his potential could never transform into a world-beater at Old Trafford.
#4 Dong Fangzhou (2004-2008)
Dong Fangzhuo was often the forgotten star at United during their period of success in the 2000s. The China international arrived at Old Trafford in January 2004 and became the first-ever East Asian player to be signed by a Premier League club.
However, Fangzhou was not allowed to play for the club due to difficulties in landing a work permit. As a result, he joined Belgian side Royal Antwerp on a loan deal. Fangzhou enjoyed success in his two-and-a-half-year stint in Belgium as he scored 30 goals in 53 appearances for the Belgian Pro League outfit.
The Chinese international was recalled by Sir Alex Ferguson for the 2007-08 season but he only managed to make one Premier League appearance for his parent club.
Fangzhou could not adjust to the pace or the intensity of the league and mutually terminated his contract with the club in 2008. Fangzhuo retired in 2014 but not many remember his time in the famous red jersey.
#3 Zoran Torsic (2009-2010)
Zoran Tosic had one of the shortest spells of any player in a Manchester United jersey. After scoring 42 goals and providing 25 assists in 142 appearances at Partizan Belgrade, Sir Alex Ferguson brought the Serbian international to England in January of 2009.
However, the Scottish manager never made the youngster into his plans. Manchester United had a wealth of talent on the wings, with Anderson, Nani and Ryan Giggs hogging a major share of the minutes.
This limited Tosic to just two appearances in the 2009-10 season. In the following campaign, the Serbian was sent on loan to FC Koln before joining CSKA Moscow permanently in 2011.
Tosic went on to achieve success in Russia. However, there was never any regret among the Old Trafford faithful about offloading the winger.
#2 Manucho (2007-2009)
Mateus Alberto Contreiras Goncalves, or 'Manucho', is one of the few players to have signed for Manchester United after impressing on a three-week trial for the club. However, like Dong Fangzhuo, he faced issues over a work permit.
This led to the Angola international ace signing for Greek club Panathinaikos for the remainder of the 2007-08 season. Manucho was recalled for the 2008-09 season after he obtained a work permit.
Like many youngsters at Manchester United, the African star was also expected to develop and turn into the next superstar on the block.
However, this turned out to be tougher than expected as he was only afforded substitute appearances. Manucho never matched up to the quality of players like Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha, Dimitar Berbatov or even a young Danny Welbeck.
He understandably sealed a loan move to Hull City for the second half of the 2008-09 campaign, following which, he permanently joined Spanish side Real Valladolid.
Manucho retired in 2019. However, he is still considered a striker who could have turned into a world-beater but failed to grab hold of his opportunities. Ferguson rarely attempted to sign youngsters in January following the Angolan's failed move to Manchester United.
#1 Alexis Sanchez (2018-2020)
Alexis Sanchez is arguably the greatest financial January transfer failure in the history of Manchester United. The Chilean was sensational in his three-and-a-half seasons at Arsenal as he scored 80 goals and 45 assists in 166 appearances. However, Sanchez failed to win the Premier League title at the Emirates.
The Chilean moved to the red half of Manchester in January of 2018 in a swap deal that involved Henrikh Mkhitaryan going the other way. On joining the 13-time Premier League champions, Sanchez stated that he was keen on proving his worth to the club.
However, it all turned sour very quickly. Arsene Wenger always promoted an attacking brand of football but United manager Jose Mourinho was never going adopt those methods. In his first one-and-a-half seasons at Old Trafford, Sanchez managed to make 45 appearances but could only score five goals in that period.
The arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hardly changed anything, with players like Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial often given the nod ahead of the Chilean. It did not help that the South American ace was no longer the pacy winger he was due to several injuries.
Manchester United eventually sent Sanchez to Inter Milan on a season-long loan deal in the summer of 2019. The following year, he sealed a permanent move to the Italian club on a free transfer, making him a massive financial loss for the Red Devils.
After all, this was a player on massive wages and somebody that was expected to propel them to their first league title since 2013.
The January transfer window is the most tricky time of the year to conclude transfer dealings. Manchester United often bagged the best players. However, this quintet are a reminder of the dangers of dipping into the winter transfer market.
