Suddenly, things turn rosy for Manchester United.
Since their elimination from the Champions League earlier this month, the Red Devils drew 0-0 with Manchester City and sealed back-to-back victories over Sheffield United and Leeds.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are undefeated in the Premier League since November 1 and have won six of their seven previous meetings, placing them third in the table.
Currently five points behind leader Liverpool with a game in hand, some United fans are beginning to believe that an unlikely title challenge is at stake.
However, one has to wonder where United would be without their talismanic midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
The Portuguese ace has scored nine goals and provided six assists in just 13 league appearances this season.
Fernandes, who scored eight goals and recorded eight assists during the second half of last season after completing a £ 47 million pass from Sporting Lisbon, surely United best post-Sir Alex Ferguson signing.
We have decided to rank the best and worst signings since Fergie’s departure in the summer of 2013.
It is too early to judge United’s most recent signings, Edinson Cavani, Amad Diallo, Facundo Pellistri, Alex Telles and Donny van de Beek, so none of them are eligible for the selection.
10 best signings
10. Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Signed from Crystal Palace on a £ 50m deal in 2019, Aaron Wan-Bissaka could be Man Utd’s first-choice right-back for the next 10 years.
There is still plenty of room for improvement in his game, of course, but the first signs are promising.
9. Romelu Lukaku
Was it a mistake to sell Romelu Lukaku? Possibly. The Belgian has scored an impressive 49 goals in 68 games for Inter Milan over the past season and a half.
Lukaku scored 42 goals in 96 games for the Red Devils, but fans often criticized him for both his technique and his work ethic. That said, a goal every other game was still a decent return.
8. Harry Maguire
The jury is still out on Harry Maguire, who became the most expensive defender of all time when he joined United from Leicester City in a deal worth £ 80 million in 2019.
While there have been more than a few lame performances from the England international, the current United captain has been decent overall and you feel like the best is yet to come.
7. Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba has divided opinion among Manchester United supporters during his second stint at Old Trafford.
While it is true that the World Cup winner has flattered himself about cheating too many times, it is important to remember that he has scored 26 goals and provided the same number of assists in 121 Premier League games.
This is likely to be Pogba’s last season at Man Utd and fans will expect him to do his best to ensure he retires at the top.
6. Ander Herrera
The Old Trafford faithful were understandably disappointed when Ander Herrera opted to join Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer in the summer of 2019.
The Spaniard always put his best effort every time he put on the famous red jersey.
5. Fred
Fred deserves a lot of credit for turning things around himself at Man Utd.
The Brazilian was hugely disappointing during his first season following his £ 47 million move from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2018, but is now one of the top names on Solskjaer’s team roster, particularly for big games.
4. Juan Mata
Probably the most excited United fans have been with any signing in the post-Fergie era, Juan Mata arrived from Chelsea James Bond-style in a helicopter midway through David Moyes’s ill-fated season in charge.
The Spaniard has played more than 260 games for the Premier League giants and will always occupy a special place in the hearts of the fans thanks to his performance against Liverpool in ‘Juanfield’ in March 2015.
3. Anthony Martial
Seventy-four goals in 236 games is a decent return from the French forward, which was anyone’s guess when Louis van Gaal brought him to Old Trafford from AS Monaco in 2015.
Like his compatriot Pogba, Martial tends to divide opinion but has the support of many of the club’s fans.
2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
It may have been a brief romance, but both Zlatan and United fans will always remember it fondly.
The charismatic Swede scored 28 goals during his first season at Old Trafford, winning the EFL Cup and the Europa League in the process, before a serious injury ended his tenure with the English side.
1. Bruno Fernandes
There is no question that Fernandes is the best signing of the post-Ferguson era. It is the most important signing United have made since Robin van Persie and it will surely not be long before players like Real Madrid and Barcelona knock on the door.
Man Utd must do everything in its power to ensure that Bruno remains at Old Trafford for as long as possible.
10 worst signings
And now the 10 worst signings …
10. Eric Bailly
It feels a bit harsh putting Eric Bailly in the ‘worst signings’ category, but the Ivorian defender has missed too many games through injury in the last five seasons.
Since his arrival from Villarreal in 2016, Bailly has played 89 games, 56 of which have been Premier League matches.
He is certainly an excellent center back, but United have every right to be disappointed in their £ 30 million investment.
9. Marcos Rojo
Another defender who has only appeared sporadically in recent seasons, Marcos Rojo should have been sold a long time ago.
The Argentine didn’t fit particularly well with the Red Devils in the first place.
8. Matteo Darmian
Matteo Darmian was so disappointing. United fans thought they had found gold when they signed the Italian international from Torino. He could play both as a left and right back and loved to attack. Perfect, right?
Unfortunately, sadly not.
7. Morgan Schneiderlin
It was a similar story with Morgan Schneiderlin, who impressed while playing midfielder with Southampton, but failed to make the move at Man Utd.
The French midfielder spent two seasons at Old Trafford before being transferred to Everton.
6. Memphis Depay
Memphis Depay had the talent, but not the right attitude, necessary to succeed at United.
Wearing the club’s famous number 7 jersey upon arrival, the Dutch winger only managed to produce a couple of truly first-class performances.
5. Víctor Valdés
Signed as a substitute for David de Gea, former Barcelona goalkeeper Víctor Valdés only played two games with Man Utd and ended up fighting with Van Gaal in spectacular fashion.
The situation became so toxic that Valdés was not allowed to enter the locker room and could not even train with the U21 or youth players.
4. Radamel Falcao
Radamel Falcao tried hard, my God, but it was still a disastrous assignment.
The Colombian scored goals in 29 games, but has since rejuvenated his career with AS Monaco and now with Galatasaray.
3. Angel Di Maria
Make no mistake about it: signing Angel Di María from Real Madrid was a huge blow to Manchester United at the time. The Argentine was, and continues to be, a world-class midfielder.
But there was a big problem: I really didn’t want to live in Manchester. And an attempted robbery on his property was the final straw for the South American and his young family.
It didn’t help that he was playing with Van Gaal, who stifled all his creativity.
2. Bastian Schweinsteiger
The powers that were at Old Trafford should have receded when Bayern Munich agreed to sell Bastian Schweinsteiger for just £ 6.5 million.
The German midfielder had already passed his prime when he arrived in Manchester and only played 35 games for the Red Devils, scoring two goals.
1. Alexis Sánchez
But the worst signing, by a kilometer and a half, is obviously Alexis Sánchez.
One of Arsenal’s best players of the Premier League era couldn’t have performed much worse at the Theater of Dreams.
That he took home anywhere in the region of £ 350,000 at £ 500,000 a week made the situation even harder to swallow for everyone associated with Man Utd.
It was a relief to everyone involved when he joined Inter on a permanent transfer earlier this year.
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