Ranking Manchester United's 10 most expensive signings

3) Ander Herrera – £29m

Following Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure, Ander Herrera was one of the main targets for David Moyes in 2013. However, at the time, Athletic Bilbao had flatly rejected United’s advances in spite of a £24m bid as the Spanish club had qualified for the Champions League. But the Red Devils finally got their man the next summer with a bid that was approximately £29m.

Herrera has been played in a variety of midfield roles – both in defensive and attacking roles. That also had a bit to do with managers trying to discover his best position. He wasn’t as creative as the others apart from a few flashes of brilliance while he wasn’t disciplined enough to play as a defensive midfielder. The box-to-box role soon became his calling thanks to his superior work rate and defensive positioning.

However, he has gained a reputation as a sly menace who gets away with a number of incidents that are frowned upon. Under Mourinho, he didn’t start games at first but soon worked his way back into the lineup at the expense of Fellaini.

The final few months of the season saw some inspiring performances including a Man of the Match performance in the Europa League final triumph. He also went home with the club’s Player of the Year award at the end of the season.

Rating: 8/10