Sir Jim Ratcliffe has recently criticised some of the signings Manchester United have made in recent years – but who have been the worst to join in the post Sir Alex Ferguson Era?
The Red Devils have received their fare share of scrutiny over the recruitment style, signings some huge names on big contracts and failing to deliver real success along the way.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe spoke about this issue in a recent interview with Manchester United legend, Gary Neville, highlighting the problems behind signing players like Casemiro, Antony and Jadon Sancho.
However, failed signings is not something that has just started to occur, as United’s additions since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013 have been far from impressive.
You can find our top 10 worst Manchester United signings in the post Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Top 10 Worst Manchester United Signings in Post Sir Alex Ferguson Era
10. Mason Mount – £55 million
Coming in as the 10th worst signing since 2013 is former Chelsea midfielder, Mason Mount, who joined Manchester United for £55m in the 2023 summer window.
Since signing for the Red Devils, the 26-year-old has made just 32 appearances for the club and has dealt with an abundance of injuries.
In fact, the England international has missed 49 matches for United (as of March 11th 2025) and has only registered two goal contributions (1G & 1A).
Due to the unfortunate nature of his time in Manchester, we have decided to place him in 10th, however, his stats could push him further down the list if this continues.
9. Donny van de Beek – £35 million
The Dutch midfielder was tipped to achieve great things in football after his involvement in Ajax’s superb Champions League semi-final run in 2018/19.
However, after earning a move to Manchester United for around £35m, Donny van de Beek failed to live up to expectations and never cemented his place in the heart of midfield.
Contributing to just four goals in 62 appearances, the former Ajax midfielder underwhelmed in Manchester and struggled with a host of injuries.
8. Morgan Schneiderlin – £25 million
During his time at Southampton, many expected Morgan Schneiderlin to become one of the biggest powerhouses in midfield and achieved a major move to Old Trafford.
However, the weight of the Manchester United shirt appeared to weight heavily on the Frenchman and he was eventually shipped off to Everton.
During his time in Manchester, Schneiderlin made just 47 appearances for the Red Devils and was a wasted investment at £25m.
7. Memphis Depay – £25 million
Coming in at seventh is Memphis Depay, who could have been higher on this list had Manchester United not made some more poor signings after his arrival.
The Dutchman was one of the hottest prospects in Europe after an impressive spell with PSV and joined the Red Devils in June 2015.
At 21-years-old, this move may have come to soon for the Netherlands international as he scored just seven goals in 53 appearances and joined Lyon in the 2016/17 January window.
6. Casemiro – £60 million
In his opening season at Manchester United, Casemiro was arguably one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and justified the hefty price tag.
However, many were skeptical of the move due to his age and his following two seasons have backed up these concerns as his performances have fallen off drastically.
His displays in Manchester are not as bad as some players in this list, however, the Brazilian is reportedly earning £350,000 a week which has completely torn the wage structure at Manchester United.
5. Romelu Lukaku – £75 million
Romelu Lukaku’s place on this list may seem harsh considering the state of Manchester United’s attack at the moment, however, the Belgian was supposed to push the club to title contention and he failed to deliver.
In his opening season at the club, Lukaku scored a respectable 27 goals in 51 appearances before following up with 15 goals in 45 matches in the following season.
One saving grace for Manchester United was the fee they received from Inter Milan, as the Italian side bought Lukaku for £68.1m in 2019.
4. Alexis Sanchez – £35 million + Henrikh Mkhitaryan
During his time at Arsenal, Alexis Sanchez was one of the most feared wingers in the Premier League and football fans across the globe were shocked when he signed for Manchester United in January 2018.
The Chilean made 45 appearances for the Red Devils, contributing to 14 goals (5G+9A) and was eventually sold to Inter for free after a successful loan move.
Not only did he cost the club £35m and an honourable servant in Mkhitaryan, the former Barcelona player was reportedly earning over £400,000 a week.
3. Angel Di Maria – £59.7 million
Angel Di Maria had cemented himself as one of the best players in the world during his time in Madrid and joined Manchester United in August 2014 after winning the man of the match award in the Champions League final just a few months prior.
Under Louis van Gaal, the Argentinian was never played in a system or style that suited his abilities and he looked a shell of the player that we saw in Spain.
Just a year on from his move to Manchester, Di Maria signed for PSG after contributing with four goals and 11 assists in 32 appearances for Manchester United.
2. Jadon Sancho – £73 million
Similarly to Depay, Jadon Sancho was one of the hottest prospects in Europe and was a revolution in Germany for Borussia Dortmund.
He signed for Manchester United in July 2021 in a window that saw Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane join the club.
After a very public fall-out with Erik ten Hag, the Englishman was not included in a single matchday squad and is now on loan at Chelsea.
1. Antony – £82 million
Finally on this list and deemed the worst signing for Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson left – we have Antony.
The Brazilian signed for Manchester United in the summer window of 2022 and was part of Erik ten Hag’s Ajax raid alongside Lisandro Martinez.
In his opening three matches, Antony scored on each occasion and many believed he would be a star player for United – however things died down pretty quickly.
Since these opening three matches, the Brazilian has made 59 appearances in the Premier League and scored two goals – leaving Ruben Amorim no choice but to loan him out to Real Betis.
