Manchester United have splashed out over £400 million on players since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, but it hasn’t been enough to sustain the success he brought to the club during his glorious tenure.
There have been hits and misses among the dealings of the three managers who followed Ferguson: David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho. But who has shone and who has flopped? Starting from Mourinho’s purchases, we rank each signing out of 10.
Jose Mourinho
Eric Bailly: 9 — Excellent from the moment he first wore a United shirt, he will be a leading defender for years to come.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 9 — His 19 goals have been impressive enough but, more than that, he has helped restore United’s swagger.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 9 — Had to wait a while to be given his chance as a regular starter but has delivered both at home and in Europe.
Paul Pogba: 9 — Has the ability to become the very best in the game and was signed as much for his potential as the cluster of fine performances he has already delivered.
Total outlay: £149.3 million
Louis van Gaal
Daley Blind: 8 — Looks to be a squad player now but his versatility, as well as the excellence of several of his performances, means he has been a fine signing.
Matteo Darmian: 5 — Arrived with a strong reputation and put in some good early performances, but is too unambitious in attack and has lost assurance in defence.
Memphis Depay: 4 — Started brightly in the Champions League qualifiers but faded quickly from view against cannier defenders in the Premier League.
Angel Di Maria: 3 — Had a superb start but the club’s then-record signing regressed sharply, suffering injury and off-field problems. His form was abject by the time he joined Paris Saint-Germain.
Radamel Falcao (loan) 3 — Looked off the pace after his awful set of injuries, though his recent brilliance at Monaco suggests his time at United was merely a miserable blip.
Ander Herrera: 9 — Struggled initially to become a regular starter but now his place in the team is assured, both as an orchestrator in his own right and a key foil for Pogba.
Anthony Martial: 9 — An instant star, who showed van Gaal’s eye for a young player was still there. Martial was often the highlight of a difficult 2015-16 season, the zenith of which was his magnificent FA Cup semifinal performance.
Marcos Rojo: 6 — Has improved markedly under Mourinho, adding good positioning to decent passing. He is beginning to look like the international player he is.
Sergio Romero: 6 — A couple of uncertain early outings showed he was not a strong competitor for David De Gea, but Romero has proved himself a competent deputy in recent months.
Morgan Schneiderlin: 5 — Not always given the fairest run to prove himself but, in the final analysis, he was not dominant often enough.
Bastian Schweinsteiger: 6 — Most useful in his early games as someone who could control the tempo but, increasingly, he was overrun by younger, fresher players and now barely features.
Luke Shaw: 6 — When fit and in form he has been excellent but is still to recover from a horrific leg break. Currently out of favour with Mourinho and could be on his way in the summer.
Victor Valdes: 2 — A disastrous move for both player and manager; Valdes and Van Gaal never seemed to gel even though they had previously worked together.
Total outlay: £248m
David Moyes
Marouane Fellaini: 6 — Was an unpopular signing and has often found the going extremely tough. Now, though, he has a niche as a valued impact player.
Juan Mata: 8 — Did not seem to have a natural place upon his arrival but now scores and creates freely and is one of the most reliable players when in-game control is needed.
Total outlay: £64.6m
Musa Okwonga is one of ESPN FC’s Manchester United bloggers. Follow on Twitter: @Okwonga.
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