Amid the concerning standoff between Jadon Sancho and Erik Ten Hag, which would appear to have no resolution any time soon, the former is likely to join the list of biggest Manchester United flops. We’ve picked out some of the more memorable names below.
- Jadon Sancho in danger of joining unwanted company among the biggest Manchester United flops
- United boast a long list of flops, and we’ve outlined the most disastrous spells below
Biggest Manchester United Flops
5. Harry Maguire
There could be an argument to be had against Harry Maguire’s inclusion in this list, given he was handed the captaincy six months into his Manchester United career.
That was brought to an end after three and a half years just before the start of the season, with Erik Ten Hag having phased the England international out of the starting line-up.
There is no denying Maguire has had his moments at United, but more often than not he is among the chief scapegoats when he is lucky enough to play. A litany of mistakes over the course of his career in Manchester simply can not be ignored, despite calls from members of the media that he is unfairly treated.
His £80 million price tag, which by all accounts was an inflated fee anyway, does not help his case. It weighs heavier and heavier after every costly mishap, and with his starting spot now well out of reach, he can certainly be considered a Manchester United flop.
4. Donny Van De Beek
Off the back of a glittering Champions League campaign in 2018/19, midfield all-rounder Donny Van De Beek was afforded the freedom to pick from a long line of elite suitors.
Manchester United fought off strong interest from Real Madrid to secure what, at the time, was a real coup at £35 million.
Fast-forward four years and the Dutchman has only featured on 62 occasions – for context, club captain Bruno Fernandes played over 70 games for club and country last season alone.
You would be forgiven for thinking Van De Beek had left United long ago. The forgotten man at Old Trafford has of course been plagued with injuries, which has seen him ruled out for over 50 games in total.
A failed loan move to Everton in the 2021/22 season inspired little hope for his career in England. An alarming drop in output compared to his days in Amsterdam – where he registered 75 goal involvements in 175 appearances from midfield – has seen a succession of managers leave him out of the starting line-up.
3. Angel Di Maria
Despite inspiring Real Madrid to ‘La Decima‘ the season prior, the newly-crowned European champions forced Angel Di Maria out of the Spanish capital, in favour of a move for James Rodriguez. As history would show, this proved a disastrous decision.
Nevertheless, Di Maria’s then-British record deal to United worth £59.7 million proved equally as disastrous.
A direct free-kick against QPR to open his account, before a delicious looping lob at Leicester had United fans licking their lips in his first month at the club.
Despite enjoying some truly inspired moments in the first few months of his United career, an awful run of from that started at the end of October 2014 saw his game time limited and his output dwindle.
Louis van Gaal, the manager at the time, said he “did not know why” the move didn’t prove successful, as PSG snapped him up after just one season in Manchester.
Di Maria’s wife later went on an extraordinary rant on Argentine TV about the move. She said: “It was horrible! All of it was horrible, we went to the house and we were like… ‘See you later guys, we’re out of here’. When we left, I said to him, ‘Go to any country – except England’. Anyway, one year later and there we were in England and it was horrible, a sh*thole.
“You’re walking down the street and you don’t know if they’re going to kill you or what. The food’s disgusting. All the girls are all dolled up to the nines, perfectly made-up and there’s me with my hair in a bun and with no make-up on.”
2. Alexis Sanchez
Alexis Sanchez would admit a few years later after his first training session at Manchester United, that he asked his agent “can I not rip up my contract and go back to Arsenal?”
In a bizarre January swap deal involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan going the other way, Sanchez opted to move to the red side of Manchester, despite strong interest from neighbours City.
A reunion with former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola would almost certainly have suited him more, particularly when you consider Manchester City set the Premier League points record (100) later that year.
For a player who registered 48 goal involvements in 51 games for the Gunners the season prior, his eventual total of nine goals in just 45 games across his two years at Old Trafford is a hugely underwhelming figure.
1. Paul Pogba
Our biggest Manchester United flop is likely to divide opinion among Red Devils fans, but the return of Paul Pogba in 2016 brought with it boundless promise for success.
Off the back of eight goals and 12 assists in Serie A for Juventus, the former United youth academy product returned to Manchester for a then-world record £89.3 million fee.
His best season in a United shirt came in 2017/18 where he scored 16 goals and registered 11 assists across all competitions, but it still wasn’t enough for fans to fully get behind Pogba. Following the final game of that year against Cardiff, he approached a group of fans who had been hurling abuse at him throughout the match.
That episode is a perfect reflection of his career in Manchester. Undoubtedly one of the best midfielders on his day, but you always felt as if there was a little bit more to give.
90 goal involvements in 226 appearances is a return fitting for his world record price tag, and can certainly be classed as a more than commendable return for a midfielder.
However, grating relationships with with Jose Mourinho and latterly Ralf Rangnick ultimately cast a shadow over what could have been a positive return to the club.
A succession of injuries did throw a spanner in the works, but two trophies in six years – which were both won in his first season – is also not a silverware haul befitting of a player of his perceived stature.
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