Manchester United have made some truly dreadful signings over the years, with some players faring much worse than others. It's not easy to cope with the pressure of playing for the Red Devils and there is no guarantee of success at Old Trafford, even for some of football's biggest names.
Ranking United's worst deals
Given the sheer volume of terrible signings, picking out the very worst deals United have ever struck becomes a difficult task. These players have been ranked on their performances, impact, the circumstances that led to their unfortunate fall from grace and the return on investment (or lack thereof) that United ended up getting.
Without further ado, here's a look at the 11 worst signings the club have ever made...
#11 - Memphis Depay
The young Dutchman was tipped for global stardom when he joined United from PSV in a £25million deal. At the time, he was among Europe's most coveted youngsters, but he got nowhere near his full potential at Old Trafford. He only made four appearances, all off the bench, in his final season at United before he was eventually sold to Lyon in 2017.
#10 - Donny van de Beek
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer never seemed to rate Van de Beek despite United investing £40m to secure his signature from Ajax, and perhaps for good reason. He never managed to get going, only making 35 appearances for the club over the span of four years. Still only 29 years old, he now plays in Spain's second tier with Girona.
#9 - Rasmus Hojlund
It sometimes looked as if the Danish striker had won a competition to play for United during his ill-fated spell at Old Trafford. He was nowhere near good enough and the £75m fee paid to Atalanta in exchange for his signature was essentially daylight robbery. He has since found his shooting boots at Napoli after returning to Serie A last summer.
#8 - Anthony Martial
Monaco famously inserted a Ballon d'Or clause when they sold Martial to United for an initial £36m in 2015. He made a splash on his debut with a stunning goal against Liverpool, but that proved to be the highlight of his career. The striker never got close to his full potential, let alone a Ballon d'Or, and is currently a free agent having left Mexican side Monterrey earlier this year. He's still only 30.
