Alexis, Di Maria & Ed Woodward's eight worst Man Utd transfers
Cameron Smith
- 1 Feb 2022 10:36 GMT
- 5 min read
For 16 years, Ed Woodward was a mainstay at Manchester United. From advising the Glazer family during their takeover in 2005 to joining the club in a financial planning role, to being executive vice-chairman of the club.
However, he has now left Man Utd, having been succeeded by Richard Arnold, who became the club's Chief Executive Officer on February 1 2022.
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Much-maligned by fans for his dealings in the market, what have been Woodward's eight worst transfers during his eight years at the helm?
Marcos Rojo - £16m from Sporting Lisbon, 2014
Capable of playing either centre-half or left-back, Marcos Rojo was viewed as a solution to Manchester United’s defensive woes. With the side finishing seventh in 2013/14, and both Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra leaving the club that summer, it was most definitely needed.
The defender made 22 Premier League appearances in his maiden campaign, but his rashness in challenges and poor defensive awareness ensured it was all downhill from there.
Perhaps the most damning statistic on Rojo is the fact that, in 2019/20, he lost possession more times per 90 (20.8) than the first choice pairing of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof did combined (18.9).
Angel Di Maria – £59.7m from Real Madrid, 2014
On the face of it, the signing of Angel Di Maria in the summer of 2014 made perfect sense. He was their record transfer at the time at £59m, having just helped Real Madrid to the Champions League with a man of the match performance in the final.
There were similar issues to Juan Sebastian Veron in that he struggled to adapt to his surroundings, and his house being burgled certainly didn’t help him settle.
But if Louis van Gaal expected Di Maria to lead the team into a new era, he signed the wrong player. Having played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Di Maria impressed away from the limelight and struggled with the pressure of being the club’s main man.
Radamel Falcao – £6m LOAN from Monaco, 2014
Man Utd paid £6m to sign Radamel Falcao on loan from Monaco back in 2014, and it’s fair to say it didn’t work out.
So much was wanted of the man who had tore up La Liga with Atletico Madrid, but Falcao managed to score just four Premier League goals during his time at the club, and a career that promised so much in Spain and France with Monaco really fizzled out after moving to Old Trafford.
He failed to adapt to the league and while the signing made sense at the time as United were in the need to reinforcements up top, it proved to be yet another example of a poor transfer decision.
Safe to say the option for a permanent move for £43.5m (€55m) was not taken up by the Red Devils.
Bastian Schweinsteiger - £6.5m from Bayern Munich, 2015
When Man Utd signed Bastian Schweinsteiger in 2015, it's fair to say he wasn't the same player he used to be. He was no longer a controlling central midfielder, and he caused more problems than he solved.
He was booked just eight minutes into his debut and then served a three-match ban in December for striking West Ham's Winston Reid in the throat.
Under new boss Jose Mourinho, he was banished to the U23s. He failed to start a single game for over a year after that, and subsequently left for Chicago Fire in March 2017.
Morgan Schneiderlin - £25m from Southampton, 2015
Morgan Schneiderlin had been on Man Utd's radar for a while, and they finally got their man in 2015. It seemed like a smart signing, and he was a regular during his first season.
However, he played just 147 minutes the following year, and was sold to Everton after failing to live up to high expectations. Far from the worst signing, Schneiderlin was simply average in a Man Utd shirt.
They did, however, recoup most of the transfer fee they paid Southampton.
Memphis Depay – £25m from PSV, 2015
Signed for £25m, big things were expected of Memphis Depay upon his move to Old Trafford, but he failed to deliver upon such expectations during his short stint at the club.
Given the famous number 7 shirt, Depay couldn’t live up to the prestige of those before him, scoring just two Premier League goals and assisting none in his only full campaign at the club.
Not only was Depay a flop at the club, but he also failed to recoup much of the fee the club paid for him, with Man Utd selling him to Lyon for just under £15m in January 2017. He has since, of course, rediscovered his form, and moved to Barcelona in the summer of 2021.
Alexis Sanchez – SWAP from Arsenal, 2018
Involved in perhaps the worst swap deal in history, Alexis Sanchez arrived in Manchester as one of the Premier League’s best talents, and left as a failure.
Beloved at Arsenal, Sanchez never produced the same form after making the long-awaited move to Old Trafford.
He scored just three Premier League goals in his 18 months at the club, and joined Inter on a free transfer, after his loan spell there, in 2020.
While he was swapped with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, his wages were reportedly around £14m-a-year after tax; he cost the club a hefty chunk, and he didn’t perform.
Donny van de Beek - £35m from Ajax, 2020
A £35m signing who made just four Premier League starts in 18 months without injury sums up what a disaster Van de Beek has been at United.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer never fancied Van de Beek, who was a benchwarmer throughout his time together with the Norwegian. Things did not improve when Ralf Rangnick took over in December 2021.
Van de Beek was eventually sent out on loan to Everton in January 2022 and it seems he has no future left at Man Utd.
