Top Ten United Signings: When Fergie got it wrong
Diego Forlorn
Nobody is perfect and despite being footballing royalty even Sir Alex Ferguson can make mistakes. Usually a deft hand in transfers Fergie has signed some real whoppers so join me as I count down 10 of his worst:
Diego Forlan
I grudgingly put him in here as he indeed comes from Uruguay and made the Scousers cry but after joining United for £7.2m from Independiente it took him 27 games to score his first goal, shocking especially as he now rakes them in at Atletico Madrid.
Juan Sebastian Veron
For £28m United would have expected Veron to also be able to fly but after joining United with a big reputation he barely got off the ground. He had the odd good game and seemed to enjoy European nights but just could not adapt to the Premier League.
Massimo Taibi
He was NEVER going to fill the void left by Peter Schmeichel and his brief 4 game stay at United only did his reputation harm after conceding a soft Matt Le Tissier goal and 5 against Chelsea.
Liam Miller
Miller was signed from Celtic touted as the new Roy Keane. He duly failed to live up to the hype and after 22 first team appearances, he ironically joined Roy Keane’s Sunderland.
David Bellion
Another example of why players should not be touted as ‘the next..’. Bellion or ‘the next Thierry Henry’ was signed under much hype when United were accused of tapping him. They eventually paid Sunderland £2m compensation settling out of court but in hindsight Ferguson will probably wish he didn’t bother.
Jordi Cruyff
Supposedly one of the most talented players Ryan Giggs ever saw, the son of legend Johan Cruyff must have left his talent at The Cliff as he failed to produce on field, leaving United fans to wonder could this really be the Dutch legend’s son?
Karel Poborsky
After his wonder goal against Portugal at Euro 96, hopes were high for Poborsky but a young fellow called David Beckham put paid to his career and as quick as he came to United he was gone.
Eric Djemba Djemba
So bad they named him twice! Eric was another player that was meant to fill the shoes of the aging Roy Keane but just was not up to the task. Unable to sustain any kind of form, his 2 years at the club were the definition of mediocrity.
Kleberson
After missing out on Ronaldinho in 2003 United went after the next best Brazilian and Jose Kleberson became the first Brazilian to play for United. The fact Barcelona, under Ronaldinho’s influence, would go on to dominate in Spain and Europe whilst United didn’t win the league again until 2007 just shows who got the better player.
Ralph Milne
You can’t argue with the man himself who claimed,
“My worst signing? Ralph Milne. I only paid £170,000 but I still get condemned for it.”
And after 3 goals in 23 appearances for United you can see why!
Football News 24/7
Nani and Berbatov are two of Fergie’s worst ever buys, Veron was better than both of those by a distance.
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I remember poborsky from my Premier League stickers collection, loved the long hair! Where was Eric Djemba Djemba?
Its hard to decide between him and Kleberson though..
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I agree – Berbatov at a whopping £30 million may replace a few of those listed if his career carries on as it has. ALSO – Anderson and Nani at an incredible £36 million are worth a mention
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Nani and Anderson did not cost £36m. Nani was signed for a fee rising to a possible £14m dependant on appearances and trophies won whereas Anderson was signed on a similar deal for a fee of a maximum £17m. The penalties they scored in the 2008 Champions league final were worth a million each alone.
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