Man Utd's brutal worst XI since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club - featuring over £500m worth of Old Trafford flops
Twelve years have now passed since the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson departed Manchester United
In a short period of just 12 years, Manchester United have gone from serial Premier League title-winners to a bottom-half crisis club.
The legacy left behind by Sir Alex Ferguson when he departed, league title in hand, in 2013 may never again be replicated in the history of the club. While the great Scotsman will always be remembered as a United and Premier League icon, we are beginning to reach a stage where his great success at Old Trafford is a distant memory. One which brings nostalgia but great resentment at what has happened since.
United’s status as one of the biggest clubs in world football was created by Fergie, and such a status may forever remain. Which only makes over a decade of failure all the more unforgivable.
Just five major trophies have been won in 12 years, not a single Premier League title within them, compared with 13 league triumphs in the final 21 of Sir Alex’s 27 years managing the Red Devils. Such a drop-off has been caused by failures across all levels of the club - not least by a series of big-money flops who have failed to adapt to life at Old Trafford.
We have put together our worst United XI since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club, based on a number of factors including price, success on the pitch and overall impact versus expectation during their time at the club.
Man United’s worst XI since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club
GK - Andre Onana: One of the most expensive goalkeepers of all time, it is difficult to argue against Onana being within this team. While David de Gea at times received criticism, he also shone and developed into one of the best shot-stoppers around while at United. Onana, by comparison, signed for a mammoth £47.2million and failed to live up to expectations, making several high-profile blunders and now finding himself exiled out to Trabzonspor in Turkey.
RB - Aaron Wan-Bissaka: The now-West Ham United full-back arrived at Old Trafford for £50m from Crystal Palace in 2019 and was supposed to be the club’s future at right-back. Though a good defender, Wan-Bissaka was never good enough for United in an attacking sense and lost his place to Diogo Dalot before being sold for just £15m to the Hammers.
CB - Harry Maguire: The former club captain symbolised United’s decline in the early 2020s following his £80m arrival, remaining the most expensive defender of all time to this day. The 32-year-old remains at the club and has become somewhat of a loyal servant, though his previous fall from grace has not been forgotten. Maguire is not a bad player and at times had received unfair criticism, however, his price tag is what puts him on this list - although that is more down to the club than the player.
CB - Victor Lindelof: Though not as high-profile a disappointment as Maguire, Lindelof was equally ineffective at Old Trafford. Signed for a fee rising to £38m, Lindelof stuck around for eight years but eventually faded to a place on the substitutes’ bench. Released for nothing at the end of his contract, he was not an abject failure but will hardly be remembered fondly by many.
LB - Alex Telles: The Brazilian made just 30 Premier League appearances in three years on the books. Such a forgettable player at the club that he just about sees off injury-prone Luke Shaw for a place in this side.
Some of PL’s biggest-ever buys in miserable worst United attack
CM - Paul Pogba: The quintessential Man United post-Ferguson big-money flop. The fact he was developed in the Red Devils’ academy made it all the more striking when £89m was spent to sign the Frenchman from Juventus. Granted, he showed moments of sheer class at times - as is expected of the world’s most expensive footballer ever at the time. Pogba was often slated in the media for his inconsistency and perceived attitude problems, eventually released by the club for nothing in 2022 aged just 29.
CM - Casemiro: More of a reflection on United’s terrible transfer strategy than a fault of the player himself, Casemiro was top class in his first season at United but quickly fell off a cliff as age caught up with him. An ageing £70m signing with astronomical wages, the former Real Madrid star is often a liability in midfield and will most likely go down as a resounding failure - particularly if he departs for free next summer.
CM - Donny van de Beek: The Dutch midfielder is remembered for nothing other than being a failure at Old Trafford. Arriving from Ajax with huge amounts of hype, Van de Beek made just six Premier League starts in four years and even lost his place in the Netherlands squad. His career has not been the same since.
RW - Antony: Another ill-judged signing by Erik ten Hag from former club Ajax, £86m Antony would be able to stake his claim for a spot in the entire Premier League’s worst XI of the last 12 years. Boasting just five league goals and three assists in two-and-a-half years, the Brazilian became a joke for the entire footballing world to poke fun at. He may have found a home at Real Betis but his time at Old Trafford will not be forgotten any time soon.
ST - Romelu Lukaku: Considering the Belgian scored 27 goals in his first season at United, his inclusion in a worst United XI may appear harsh compared to others. But Lukaku, alongside Pogba, was supposed to be the man who would secure the league title at Old Trafford. He ultimately ended up falling out with multiple managers, spoke out publicly against the club and forced through a move to Inter Milan, leaving behind a project which was far from complete.
LW - Alexis Sanchez: The failure of Sanchez at United needs little introduction. A measly three Premier League goals, reported £500k-a-week wages, for one of the league’s very best players at the time. Sanchez arguably signed for the money and quickly lost his place in the side, despite having broken the wage structure by earning double what anyone else was on at the time. The argument has been made that United are still feeling the effects of Sanchez nearly a decade later. On the pitch, the Chilean underperformed badly and appeared not to care - a monumental failure in all senses.