Aaron Wan-Bissaka joined an exclusive club earlier this week – and we’re not talking about Manchester United. Well, we are, but the club we’re really talking about is the most expensive United signings in history.
The 21-year-old has swapped Selhurst Park for Old Trafford for an initial fee understood to be £45million, with another £5million possible in add-ons possibly taking the deal to £50m.
That means Wan-Bissaka jumps straight into the top five most costly Red Devils ever, nestled in fourth, behind Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Angel Di Maria.
But how do the top 10 rate in terms of success. Have they been a hit, miss or maybe?
1 Paul Pogba (£89.3m from Juventus, August 2016)
He already owns the tag of most expensive player in club history. It’s also fair to say Pogba has the potential to be one of United’s greatest-ever players.
Or should that be had? Because it’s equally feasible to believe the French World Cup winner won’t be at Old Trafford by the time the 2019/20 Premier League season kicks off.
When you’re the most expensive footballer in the world (Pogba has since been bumped down to fifth) it’s hard to stay out of the spotlight, which Pogba rather likes. The problem is that for all his immense talent and humanitarian and charity work, it seems Pogba prefers the limelight more than actually being a footballer.
An unquestionable talent, who finally looked to be fulfilling his potential when he rose to the occasion after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took interim charge, he nevertheless regressed towards the end of the season.
Verdict: MISS
2 Romelu Lukaku (£75m from Everton, July 2017)
Another player who, while infuriating, is hard to know whether to place in the keep, scrap or maybe pile. One thing is abundantly clear. Lukaku does not fit into a fluid and fast United system under Solskjaer.
An incredible scorer of goals – the Belgian is already joint 19th on the list of most Premier League goals (113 in 252 games, he’s ninth in terms of ratio: 0.45) – and yet he often fails to do it against the big teams.
His Red Devils record, on paper, is solid enough (42 goals in 96 games). But after bulking up hugely last season, he lost the pace that had been such a feature of his play in a devastating debut campaign in which 12 more goals were plundered.
His technique and touch are also atrocious by elite football standards.
Verdict: HIT
3 Angel Di Maria (£59.7m from Real Madrid, August 2014)
Has there ever been a bigger disappointment in a United shirt? Who else can any fan remember being so excited about when his signing was announced, and yet so disengaged when he subsequently left following a fallow period in red? Juan Sebastian Veron, Radamel Falcao, Alexis Sanchez?
Still, it’s hard to argue against it being Di Maria – a player who’d just picked up the man of the match award in the Champions League final for Real Madrid.
It started well – two goals (his chipped effort in a madcap 5-3 defeat to Leicester was unreal) and two assists in his first four games. But injury, being at odds with the archaic Louis van Gaal and his home being burgled all contributed to a nightmarish downfall.
After being sent off in the FA Cup against Arsenal, his Old Trafford career was over.
Verdict: MISS
4 Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£50m from Crystal Palace, June 2019)
Time will obviously tell whether the 21-year-old can live up to his exalted price tag. After all, not only has Wan-Bissaka entered the top five most expensive United signings of all time, he’s also usurped the great Rio Ferdinand as the Red Devils’ most expensive defender ever.
The promising England defender enjoyed a stunning breakout season at Crystal Palace, blazing a trail across many defensive categories, including second most interceptions (84) in the Premier League, while only two more players in Europe’s top five leagues made more tackles than his 129.
United fans should be excited. Their defence is about to be upgraded.
Verdict: N/A
5 Fred (£52m from Shakhtar Donetsk, June 2018)
Tough to deliver judgement on a player who’s only completed his debut season at United. But 2018/19 was an erratic and at times tough one for Fred in red.
A lot of his inconsistency can be put down to first-season struggles. Some was very good; in the initial throes of Solskjaer’s reign his boundless energy and appetite were key ingredients of United’s play – his display in the second leg of the last 16 Champions League victory over Paris Saint-Germain was immense.
At other times though he seemed unable to complete the most basic tasks like making 10-yard passes to team-mates or tracking runners. A big season ahead.
Verdict: JURY’S OUT
6 Nemanja Matic (£40m from Chelsea, July 2017)
A player who might not receive a lot of love from United fans but, much like a can of Ronseal woodstain, does exactly what it says on the tin.
Matic has served exactly the purpose for which Jose Mourinho brought his former charge to Old Trafford from Chelsea – a calm, assured, attritional presence in the heart of midfield.
The only issue is, Matic’s legs also succumbed to wear and tear last season. Excellent in his debut 2017/18 campaign in which his marshalling of the midfield allowed Pogba to roam menacingly, the snarling Serbian came straight into last season from the World Cup with very little time off.
Still only 30, Matic’s legs have seen a lot of action, which showed last term. Hopefully this summer, with requisite rest, he will be replenished.
Verdict: HIT
7 Juan Mata (£37.1m from Chelsea, January 2014)
Arrived during a difficult period – David Moyes was struggling badly to fill Sir Alex Ferguson’s shoes and had previously overpaid for Marouane Fellaini.
Fans are generally on the fence over Mata. He’s an undoubtedly skilled playmaker, sublime passer and oozes intelligence, both on and off the field. At the same time he’s something of a luxury player. He’s often pushed off the ball too easily, lacks speed and is perennially hindered by the fact he plays so often out wide instead of the central attacking position he’s most suited to.
Still, a goal every 4.8 games, a scorer of some crucial ones and a great professional who’s won the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League.
Verdict: HIT
8 Anthony Martial (£36m from Monaco, September 2015)
Is there a more frustrating footballer on the planet than moody Martial? With other, less gifted players, it’s easy to lose interest or love for them if they aren’t able to make the grade at United.
But the flamboyant Frenchman has so much pace, skill, technique, flair and goalscoring ability, that he really should be talked about in the same breath as Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Bernardo Silva across the city.
Except he isn’t. He’s nowhere near them. While those players have married their innate ability with an unquenchable thirst to improve and overcome obstacles, Martial seems unable or unwilling to break through to that elite level.
With a constant frown and look like he’d rather be anywhere else etched permanently on his face, United fans are still waiting for the complete player to emerge – four years after arriving.
Verdict: MISS
9 Victor Lindelof (£31m from Benfica, June 2017)
during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Burnley at Old Trafford on January 29, 2019 in Manchester, United Kingdom.
Luke Shaw hoisted the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award – given to Manchester United’s player of the season since 1987/88 – last term.
But, following a poor last two months of the season, some felt Lindelof would have been the more deserving recipient after a solid overall campaign.
United’s defence was largely a shambles last season – they conceded 26 more goals (54) than they did finishing runners-up in 2017/18. That’s almost double.
But the Swede grew in stature throughout, eradicating a difficult debut season. He must improve further this year, but if only United could find a dependable defender to put alongside him, it would go a long way to fixing their defensive fragility.
Verdict: JURY’S OUT
10 Dimitar Berbatov (£30.75m from Tottenham, September 2008)
An elegant, languid footballer who appeared to be so laid back he was lazy. But the beauty of Berbatov was that he was so good, he often didn’t need to try because he was still better than almost everyone on the pitch.
It’s also hard to argue with a goal record of 56 in 149 games as the brilliant Bulgarian helped United win two Premier League titles and the League Cup.
He was joint top scorer (20) as United won the 2010/11 Premier League title and will be fondly remembered for scoring five goals in a 7-1 drubbing of Blackburn as well as a hat-trick – including a spectacular overhead kick – in a 3-2 win against Liverpool in September 2010.
It was the first treble by a United player against their old foes in 64 years.
Verdict: HIT
