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Manchester United, ever since Jose Mourinho's arrival, have been a force to reckon with in the transfer market. Several high-profile players have joined the ranks of the Red Devils and have had varying fortunes.
Some have left their mark, some are getting there and some have already been shipped out of Old Trafford. In the 2017-18 season, United landed some big names who helped them finish second in the Premier League and reach the final of the FA Cup.
So, let's take a look at how Manchester United's signings from the 2017-18 campaign have fared.
#4 Victor Lindelof
If you were fed a highlight reel video of Victor Lindelof from Youtube, you'd go bonkers. He is happy to go into a tackle, steals the ball from the opposition often, charges ahead, cuts past a player or two and plays incisive passes. Anyway, over at the red part of Manchester, we're yet to see much of that.
Lindelof hasn't covered himself in glory in his debut campaign. His awkward mistake that led to United's first defeat of the season in the Premier League against Huddersfield is a painful sight to behold.
Though he has put in a shift on the odd day, his defensive showings leave a lot to be desired with his tackling being particularly suspect. In a team where there is no dearth for central defenders, Lindelof could yet have nailed down a starting spot as most of his competition had to struggle with bouts of injuries.
He has, however, shown glimpses of what he's capable of once he settles down in England. Lindelof is perhaps the only Manchester United defender who is confident enough to carry the ball forward and actually play forward passes.
But for being so inconsistent and contributing to the United defence looking vulnerable, Lindelof gets the bottom spot on the list.
#3 Alexis Sanchez
Alexis Sanchez was the most high-profile deal of the winter transfer window. Great things, and I'll reiterate that, great things were expected from the diminutive Chilean when he first walked out to the Theatre of Dreams.
However, it has not been easy for him. Playing down the left flank of a team that looked confused going forward, more often than not, Sanchez ended up giving the ball away far too often and led to several United counters getting nipped in the bud.
He is taking his sweet time to fit into the system and has had more frustrating outings than he has had worthwhile ones. He did sort of redeem himself with a swashbuckling performance against champions Manchester City by creating all of the goals that were scored by the Red Devils.
However, he hasn't been able to replicate that in the subsequent games and has failed to link up with his teammates like he used to at Arsenal. On top of that, Sanchez now gets a lot of stick for unsettling Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial at United.
Sanchez is expected to play a great role next season and for that, he'll really need to step up to the plate and come to his own. 2 goals and 3 assists from 12 games is not why Manchester United are paying him the big bucks.
#2 Nemanja Matic
Chelsea must have won the FA Cup final and can boast about having put one over Jose Mourinho and Manchester United but that was hardly a convincing performance. It has been a poor season for the Sky Blues and much of the criticism that is hurled at them has Nemanja Matic's departure from Stamford Bridge smeared all over it.
Who okayed the sale, anyway? The Serb took to life at Manchester United like Tony Montana to Miami and has been pushing and shoving adversaries around to keep things safe in the centre.
Matic's presence has helped allay the pain of Michael Carrick's departure. And on days when the trifecta of Pogba, Herrera and Matic has clicked, they've looked unstoppable. Matic has at least a couple more seasons in him and Manchester United surely got this signing spot on.
The Serb can dribble, distribute the ball well and bully players off it with great effect. Hopefully, Mourinho will bring in another central midfielder who can play alongside Matic and help unshackle Pogba.
#1 Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku is already a fan favourite at Manchester United. Granted, he has plenty of room to improve and with the talent he possesses, he should be firing more than 25 goals in the Premier League every season. But what he brings to the pitch was ironically more evident in his absence.
Lukaku's hold up play, for which he was much maligned at the start of the season, has improved immensely and barring Firmino, he might just be the best at playing rubber in the Premier League. Lukaku did go through a slump and doubts were starting to creep in. The cliche of him being a flat-track bully also resurfaced.
But his contributions in the games against big teams, though not in each match, have helped silence his critics. Scoring 26 goals and providing 7 assists for Manchester United in his debut season is no mean feat.
But in the grand scheme of things, Manchester United finally have an out and out striker who is not only good at scoring goals, but he is just as good at holding it up. He can dribble past players, he is pacy and his crossing skills are at par with some of the best wingers in the league.
