Manchester United are a massive club in English football, and the dominant force in Premier League history, but that’s not to say that things haven’t been without blips.
Our fans in the Transfer Tavern are enduring a difficult season under Louis Van Gaal, looking set to miss out on Champions League football for next term, but even at their peak there were issues.
Like all the clubs in the world, United have made some questionable purchases and there have also been some players who came in but simply did not perform to the standard that they were expected too.
Before this afternoon’s crucial Premier League clash between Manchester United and Chelsea, we asked our regulars to detail who they believe were the worst signings in their history.
So take a trip take memory lane with us, where the ivy branches are covering the walls and the pavement is cracking beneath our feet with a journey that United fans are reluctant to take.
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Hit the image below to see FIVE of United’s worst signings ever!
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Angel Di Maria
Signed from Real Madrid for a British record transfer fee of £59.7m, the Man of the Match from the previous seasons Champions League final was expected to make a massive addition at Old Trafford. Instead, he ended up being one of the worst purchases in Premier League history.
The Argentine World Cup finalist started life in Manchester fairly well but things soon curtailed. An injury saw him miss seven games and upon his return, he didn’t find his feet again. With his house in Manchester broken into, and his family unsettled, the dip he endured was significant.
Allegedly deliberately missing the plane for United’s pre-season trip to America, Di Maria was sold for £44m to Paris Saint-Germain; where he has sine found his tremendous form once again.
Diego Forlan
Manchester United have had some great forwards in their time but it’s fair to say that Diego Forlan was not one of them. Costing just shy of £7m, the hope was that the Uruguayan forward would become a Premier League star. Instead, he ended up with just 10 goals in 63 appearances in the English league.
He left in 2004 to join Villarreal and endured a mixed few years. However, he was a star in the latter stages of his career, particularly with Atletico Madrid, and won the best player award in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Unfortunately for United fans, he could never quite find that consistency at Old Trafford and he failed to live up to the hype.
David Bellion
Whilst others on this list were signed with a lot of expectation, David Bellion’s arrival at Old Trafford raised some eyebrows. Coming in from Sunderland, amidst allegations of being tapped-up, Bellion spent three years at the club but scored just four goals in the Premier League.
He struggled to adapt to life at Old Trafford and subsequently left for his native France a few years later, where he showed the talent that he had. However, he stilled struggled with inconsistency and injury problems.
Victor Valdes
Not the worst goalkeeper in Manchester United’s history by any means but Victor Valdes spell at the club was incredibly frustrated for everyone involved. Arriving from Barcelona, with an expectation of being able to compete with David De Gea for a starting spot, he ended up being frozen out.
Following an alleged fall out with Louis Van Gaal, who subsequently axed the player from the first-team squad completely, Valdes left to join Standard Liege on-loan in January. His deal expires in the summer and Valdes will definitely see it as a few years wasted.
Radamel Falcao
Continuing the trend of players that arrived with massive reputation and struggled vastly is Radamel Falcao, arguably the worst striker of the Premier League in recent years. Since a ligament injury before the 2014 World Cup, the Colombian has failed to get back to the astronomical levels he once performed at.
United had hoped that they could get Falcao back to his very best and seemed to have secured a massive coup when they landed the forward on-loan from French outfit Monaco. Instead, the loan spell was a massive waste of money and everybody’s time.
Now in a season-long spell with Chelsea, Falcao is still struggling to find his feet and fitness in English football.
