Better than Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic and Fernandes: Man United signing is the best transfer in the last 10 years
Man United’s best signings in the last 10 years include Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes.
Manchester United’s transfer recruitment over the past few years has not been good; it’s as simple as that. They have spent a lot of money on a lot of players who have become ‘flops’, with the likes of Antony, Jadon Sancho and Rasmus Hojlund some recent examples.
In the summer, United had arguably their best transfer window in a decade, as they brought in some top-quality, proven Premier League talent, in Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha. Both players have shown their quality so far, and it has paid off, as Ruben Amorim’s side is currently one point off the top four.
But how good has United’s recruitment been this summer, compared to the last decade? Spoiler, one of their most recent signings should be considered the best piece of business that Man United have done in 10 years.
Who has been United’s best signing in the past decade?
When you look at Manchester United’s signings over the past 10 years, there have been some big names, who never lived up to the hype. However, some of their transfer business did work. In 2016, United signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic for free as they needed a striker, and he delivered. The Swedish legend scored 29 goals in 53 games for United, however, his biggest issue was longevity, as he was 35 when United signed him.
Next up, Cristiano Ronaldo re-joined the club in 2021, scoring 24 goals in 34 games in his first season back at Old Trafford. However, longevity was again an issue, as he fell out with manager Erik Ten Hag and ended up leaving the club after making just 16 appearances in the following season.
Let’s try a player who is still at United. Bruno Fernandes joined in 2019 and has since become the club captain, and let’s be honest, their best player over the past five years. He has made over 300 appearances, scoring 100 goals, and providing 88 assists. Bruno’s biggest issue is that he doesn’t fit into Amorim’s system any more, as he is playing out of position.
Mbeumo is the best signing in 10 years
It is very early to say, but so far, Bryan Mbeumo has been excellent since joining from Brentford for a fee of £71m in the summer. The Cameroon international has made 11 appearances so far, scoring five goals and providing one assist. He also scored twice, and was the stand-out player during United’s 4-2 win against Brighton two weeks ago.
He could be considered a better signing than the likes of Bruno, Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic, as he has completely transformed the way that United play in attack. Last season, United struggled to create many chances and score often, but the attacker has shown that he is a difference-maker, and looks like a threat every time he gets on the ball.
He has had a better start to the season than Fernandes, and because he is just 25, you would assume he will have a much better longevity than Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic. There is certainly a conversation to be had about Mbeumo being the best Man United signing in the last decade.