What happened to Sir Alex Ferguson's final 25 signings as Man United manager? | OneFootball

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Sir Alex Ferguson is undoubtedly one of the greatest managers of the Premier League era. In the eyes of many football fans, the former Manchester United boss is the greatest manager of all time.

Ferguson won a remarkable 38 trophies during his glittering 26-year spell at Old Trafford and managed a host of world-class players along the way.

Curiously, Ferguson insisted in his 2015 book ‘Leading’ that he only coached four truly world-class players during his long tenure as United’s manager.

"I don't mean to demean or criticise any of the great or very good footballers who played for me during my 26-year career at United, but there were only four who were world class: [Eric] Cantona, [Ryan] Giggs, [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Paul] Scholes,” the Scot wrote, to the surprise of many.

While many extremely talented players arrived at the Theatre of Dreams during Ferguson’s tenure, he did not always get it right. In fact, during his final few years at the club, United made some questionable signings while the Scot was in charge.

To prove that point, we have taken a look at what happened to the final 25 signings that United made before the legendary manager shocked everyone by announcing his retirement in 2013.

And while some were certainly hits at Old Trafford, many failed to make much of an impact at all.

1 Nani

In hindsight, Nani was probably a little underrated during his seven seasons at Old Trafford. The winger suffered because people expected him to be as good as his superstar compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo - and that was never going to happen.

That said, Nani still produced some incredible moments for the Red Devils in his 230 appearances for them and fans will always remember him fondly.

Now 36, the former Portugal international signed for Turkish side Adana Demirspor last month.

2 Anderson

Rafael da Silva said in his 2021 book ‘The Sunshine Kids’ that Anderson could have been the world’s best player if it wasn’t for his love for fast food.

“We could be on the team coach and pass the services on the motorway and Anderson would jump up impulsively and yell 'McDonald's, McDonald's'," the Brazilian said of his compatriot and former teammate.

“The guy was crazy, but I love him. Give him a football and he would just play with freedom and sometimes, if he got a good run of games, he could play as well as any player in the league.”

Anderson returned to his native Brazil in 2015, where he suffered relegation with two different clubs, before announcing his retirement in 2019 (aged 31) following a brief stint with Nani’s current club, Adana Demirspor.

3 Carlos Tevez

United fans loved Tevez when he played for them and pleaded with Ferguson to sign him on a permanent deal towards the end of the 2008-09 season.

When that didn’t happen, the Argentine made the hugely controversial decision to join rivals Manchester City and supporters at Old Trafford subsequently lost all respect for Tevez, who scored 34 goals in 99 games under Fergie.

The South American went on to spend four successful seasons with City before moving on to Juventus, Boca Juniors and Shanghai Shenhua.

Tevez, 39, departed Boca in 2021 after a third spell with the Argentine giants, before deciding to hang up his boots in 2022.

4 Manucho

Signed from Angolan side Petro de Luanda, we’re not sure who advised Ferguson to sign Manucho - but it wasn’t a good decision.

He only made a couple of first-team appearances after it became clear that he wasn’t good enough for United, going on to play for the likes of Real Valladolid and Rayo Vallecano before ending his career after a short spell with Spanish club Cornella in 2019.

5 Rodrigo Possebon

Ferguson and other United coaches had high hopes for Possebon, who earned rave reviews for his performances with Internacional.

Sadly, the Brazilian midfielder suffered a serious injury during a League Cup clash against Middlesbrough and that one moment totally derailed his promising career.

Possebon left United in 2010 and then disappeared off the radar. The 34-year-old’s final club was Vietnamese club Ho Chi Minh City, where he played briefly in 2018.

6 Dimitar Berbatov

What a footballer Berbatov was. He oozed class and scored 56 goals in 149 games for the Red Devils, winning two Premier League titles in the process.

The Bulgarian went on to play for Fulham, AS Monaco, PAOK and Kerala Blasters before hanging up his silky boots in September 2019.

7 Zoran Tosic

Signed from Serbian side Partizan Belgrade, Tosic was a talented winger but, by his own admission, not good enough for Man Utd.

“I was put straight into the first-team squad and the levels were so high that it felt like another sport,” Tosic told The Athletic in 2019.

“It was very heavy for me in those first weeks in Manchester. The ball moved so quickly in training, the quality was top, top, level. Nobody lost the ball. Except me. I was trying my best but it wasn’t enough. This wasn’t the football I knew.

“I thought I could play for United but there was a reason I was not at their level. These players lived the football life at the top. Giggs was 36, Scholes 34. They trained at 200 per cent. They lived football 24 hours. It was a big surprise to me to see them do this, a big lesson. They were on bikes before training and in the gym after."

Tosic, 36, spent most of his career with CSKA Moscow, before then returning to Partizan in 2017. He currently plies his trade in the Greek Super League with PAS Lamia.

8

Another player who was unfortunately out of his depth at Man United, De Laet made six first-team appearances under Ferguson after joining from Stoke.

But he did enjoy a successful career elsewhere. De Laet was sold to Leicester City in 2012 and was a part of the Foxes team that won the Premier League title during the 2015-16 season.

After joining Aston Villa in 2016, a series of loans followed before the Belgian defender returned to his first professional club, Royal Antwerp, in 2019.

9 Antonio Valencia

A player who gave his all every time he pulled on the famous red shirt, Valencia went on to become Manchester United captain during Jose Mourinho’s spell in charge.

He left Old Trafford after 10 years in 2019, signing for Ecuadorian outfit L.D.U Quito, where he spent two seasons. The 38-year-old announced his retirement in May 2021 following a stint with Mexican club Queretaro.

10 Gabriel Obertan

Signed as a potential long-term replacement for Ronaldo in 2009, Obertan failed to justify the hype at the Theatre of Dreams. The French winger scored one goal in 28 games for United before joining Newcastle in 2011 and is still considered one of the worst Man United transfers in recent memory.

Obertan went on to play for Anzhi Makhachkala, Wigan Athletic, Levski Sofia and Erzurumspor, before joining Charlotte Independence in 2021. He is still currently at the American club.

11 Mame Biram Diouf

Diouf managed to score one goal in nine appearances for Man Utd but the Senegal international didn’t possess the tools required to become a regular with the Premier League giants.

He went on to score a further 23 Premier League goals with Stoke City before moving on to Turkish side Hatayspor in 2020. The 35-year-old is still playing his football in Turkey today, signing for Göztepe this summer.

12 Michael Owen

Liverpool fans were furious when their former striker Owen joined United on a free transfer in 2009. Although he wasn’t the Owen of old, he did find the back of the net 17 times in 52 appearances for the Red Devils.

Released by the club in 2012, the Ballon d'Or winner would spend a brief period of time at Stoke City, before deciding to retire in 2013.

13 Javier Hernandez

Hernandez was superb for Man Utd up until Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, scoring 50 goals in three seasons. But neither David Moyes nor Louis van Gaal were big fans of the live-wire striker, who went on to play for Real Madrid (on loan), Bayer Leverkusen, West Ham and Sevilla.

Chicharito, 35, is currently banging in the goals in Major League Soccer with LA Galaxy, scoring 39 times since joining in 2020.

14 Chris Smalling

Signed from Fulham in 2010, Smalling had more good games than bad for the Red Devils, although the centre-back did struggle with consistency.

The former England international joined AS Roma on loan during the 2019-20 season and loved it so much there that he completed a permanent move in 2020. He has become a solid defender under Jose Mourinho and helped his team lift the Europa Conference League in 2022.

15 Bebe

One of the most infamous signings of Ferguson’s United tenure, Bebe (an £8 million purchase from Vitoria de Guimaraes) surprisingly managed to score two goals in seven games for the Red Devils.

Although he never reached the levels required to play for United, he turned out to be a half-decent footballer, playing plenty of games in La Liga with Eibar and Rayo Vallecano, where the 33-year-old still features now.

16 Anders Lindegaard

It feels a bit harsh describing Lindegaard as a ‘Miss’ rather than a ‘Hit’ because the Denmark international was a decent enough goalkeeper who challenged David de Gea for the No. 1 jersey at one point.

But he was good rather than great and it was no surprise that he ended up moving to West Brom in 2015 after making just 29 outings for the Red Devils.

Lindegaard, 39, went on to represent Preston and Burnley, before retiring this year after a spell at Swedish side Helsingborgs.

17 Ashley Young

United fans had a love-hate relationship with Young, who was a good pro but didn’t always deliver on the pitch. By the end of his nine-year stay at Old Trafford, though, supporters wished him all the best for the future and they appreciate what he gave the club.

The 38-year-old won the Serie A title with Inter Milan in 2020-21 before moving back to the Premier League to sign for Aston Villa. He has recently joined Everton for the upcoming season.

18 Phil Jones

It’s still hard to believe that Ferguson genuinely said of Jones: "Arguably, the way he is looking, he could be Manchester United's best ever player."

It shouldn’t be forgotten that Jones *did* look a class act during his early days at Old Trafford and maybe he could have become a great had Fergie stayed longer.

But he fell out of favour in the years that followed and became less reliable in defence. Injuries did not help his United career either, and the 31-year-old left the club this year, more than a decade after joining. He is still currently a free agent.

19 David de Gea

Although United fans gave him a fair bit of stick during his final few seasons at the club, De Gea deserves to be remembered as one of Ferguson’s best signings.

The Spaniard won United’s Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award four times in the post-Ferguson era, and it is fair to say that they would have conceded *a lot* more goals under Moyes, Van Gaal and Mourinho without De Gea in between the sticks.

Released by the club after last season after failing to agree a contract extension, De Gea remains without a club right now. Although the 32-year-old is reportedly on Bayern Munich’s radar.

20 Nick Powell

Another player who may have flourished at Old Trafford had Ferguson stayed beyond 2013, Powell scored one goal in nine appearances at United after joining from Crewe Alexandra.

The 29-year-old has spent most of his career playing in the Championship with Wigan Athletic and Stoke City but now turns out for Stockport County in League Two.