As one of the biggest clubs in the world, it’s natural that Manchester United has been home to some of the finest players around. Old Trafford has been home to George Best, Cristiano Ronaldo and Edwin van der Sar; but who has commanded the biggest fee?
10) Robin van Persie – £24 million
Robin van Persie was Arsenal’s captain and perhaps their best player when he decided to make the switch to the north-west. Stating that “the little boy inside of him” wanted to play for United, the Dutchman made it his aim to win a Premier League medal in his time at Old Trafford – and he delivered. Taking the number 20 shirt with the intention of producing a 20th title for the Red Devils, van Persie’s first season was phenomenal, with hat-tricks against Southampton and Aston Villa, as well as a stoppage time winner in the Manchester Derby standing out. He made 40 appearances that season, scoring 29 goals and chipping in with 9 assists – almost one goal contribution per game, a phenomenal record.
Since then, he has made 47 appearances, scoring 26 goals. This decline in the usually highly clinical performances we all know he can put in came through a variety of factors. The first was the arrival of David Moyes. Robin personally spoke out not to criticise his new manager, but to express his disappointment at the fact that he was only able to enjoy one season under Sir Alex Ferguson, who had previously promised that he would not be retiring any time soon. This change of circumstance impacted the striker psychologically and some accused him of being lazy or not wanting to play under Moyes. This is unlikely to have been the case as van Persie is the captain of his national team and certainly was one of the world’s elite players at the time. The change in system under Moyes is more likely to have affected him than the manager himself, as United were told to sit deeper and keep hold of the ball for as long as possible. This in no way suits the style of play which van Persie offers – he prefers quick, sharp movement in and around the box where he can get on the end of balls or hold it up and look for a one-two to penetrate the defence.
The 31 year old’s only proper silverware at United came in his first season with the Premier League trophy but he did score a brace to give United a 2-0 victory against Wigan in the 2013 Community Shield, which was David Moyes’ first game in charge of the club.
He is rumoured to be leaving this summer with Juventus and Lazio touted as possible destinations but he will be able to leave with his head held high, having justified the fee Manchester United paid for him.
9) Luke Shaw – £27 million
After a standout season with Southampton in the Premier League, making 35 starts at left-back for the South coast club, Luke Shaw was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea before he was brought to United by new boss Louis van Gaal. With the departure of Patrice Evra to Juventus, the Red Devils were in need of a stellar left-back to fill the void left by the club legend and Luke Shaw, as a promising English teenager, looked to fit the bill.
It is without any doubt that he has enormous potential and will most probably excel in a United shirt, but his first season at Old Trafford has been a very on-off experience, hampered by injury. He made 18 appearances, 2 of those coming as a substitute. On almost every occasion, he has impressed when he has made it on to the pitch, particularly going forward, where he is a player with a courageous, direct approach. He is not afraid to get up the left hand side or even to made bold runs through the middle of the park. It is this lair in attack which has seen many United full-backs loved by the Stretford End, with the likes of Gary Neville and the aforementioned Patrice Evra also being very well equipped going forward.
Without silverware for now, it surely will not be long before Shaw gets his hands on a trophy. Competition with Marcos Rojo will be good for his development in the next few seasons as he looks to make the left-back spot his own.
8) Wayne Rooney – £27 million
What is there to say about Wayne Rooney? United’s captain arrived at the club in 2004 as an 18 year old, having burst onto the Premier League scene with Everton two years earlier. Filled with promise, Rooney has more than delivered on his potential over the years. His debut for United came in the Champions League – he scored a hat-trick and provided an assist in a demolition of Fenerbache. From day one, he looked every bit a United player.
His first season ended without a trophy as the team could only muster a third-place finish in the league and were muscled out of the cup competitions. Things were set to get worse before they got better for Wayne, too. He was sent off against Villarreal for sarcastically clapping the referee after being booked, which showed his petulance and immaturity – a trait which would see him punished on a few more occasions.
His first trophy was the 2006 League Cup (the current Capital One Cup). He put in a man-of-the-match performance in the final as United beat Wigan Athletic 4-0. The following season, he scored against Roma and AC Milan in the Champions League, the latter being a vital part of a 3-2 aggregate victory. He picked up 14 Premier League goals, contributing to a 1st place finish and consequently, his first Premier League winner’s medal.
His 2007-08 season was an injury-hit but still highly successful one. Despite multiple injuries, including a recurrence of his 2004 metatarsal injury, he scored 18 goals, 12 coming in the league, as United won a home-European double, picking up a second consecutive Premier League title before defeating Chelsea in a penalty shootout in the first ever all-English Champions League Final. His next Champions League final came just one year later but he failed to score as United slipped to a 2-0 defeat against Barcelona.
The following season, he scored another two Champions League goals against AC Milan in the English side’s first ever win at the San Siro. He scored another brace at Old Trafford in a 4-0 rout in the return leg, a phenomenal achievement against such a star-studded Milan side. He then scored another two in United’s next home game against Fulham to cap off a very memorable two weeks. He won the PFA Player of the Year award for that season shortly after United were knocked out of the tournament by a world-class Arjen Robben of Bayern Munich.
The start of the 2010-11 season was highly controversial as Rooney’s representatives released a statement saying that the forward was to leave the club, and Manchester City was to be his destination. After a rocky couple of weeks, the Merseyside-born forward went back on his decision and committed his future to the Red Devils. One of two amazing moments in that season came for Rooney in the Manchester derby, scoring a stunning bicycle kick in the 78th minute to win the game. It has since been voted the best goal since the inception of the Premier League. The other came in the Champions League final – scoring a wonderful goal to equalise against Barcelona, although United went on to lose again at the hands of the Catalonian giants, who were at their peak. That season also saw Rooney win his fourth Premier League medal.
The following season saw the striker make his 350th appearance for United although it ended without silverware as the Premier League was taken from their grasp and they crashed out in the Europa League at the hands of Bilbao – who, incidentally, had a very impressive Ander Herrera in their ranks, who ran the Red Devils ragged in both legs of the tie. Rooney did manage a goal against the Spaniards but it was not enough as the underdogs progressed. Wayne also made his 500th overall professional appearance that season.
The arrival of Robin van Persie saw Rooney dropped to the bench for the second game of the season and he suffered a huge gash to his right leg when he came off the bench, keeping him out for four months. He sank Manchester City again with a brace in a 3-2 win and picked up a Champions League goal against Portuguese side SC Braga. He shrouded himself in controversy again at the end of the season, handing in a transfer request before the penultimate game of the season and requesting not to play in what was Sir Alex Ferguson’s last game at Old Trafford. At the beginning of the next season, new manager David Moyes insisted that his prize asset was not for sale, despite receiving a bid in the region of £20 million from Chelsea, with Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain also interested. He was kept throughout both transfer windows that season and in February signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until June 2019 – his second long-term commitment to the club following a transfer request.
The arrival of Louis van Gaal and departures of Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand saw Rooney made club captain ahead of Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Robin van Persie. He appears to have an excellent relationship with the new manager which should serve the club well in coming seasons as United look to hoist themselves back to the top of European football. His goal in a-1 victory over West Ham saw him surpass Thierry Henry and become the Premier League’s third all-time top goal scorer. Finishing the season as top scorer yet again, Rooney’s tally was just 14 goals for the season, although that is largely down to the fact that he played in deeper roles, even sitting in front of the back four at times, to accommodate for both injuries and the presence of Radamel Falcao.
It is expected that Rooney will get to spend next season on the whole in his preferred and best role as a striker, as Radamel Falcao’s loan deal has not been extended and van Persie appears to be leaving the club. Some United fans criticise his actions in handing in transfer requests and refuse to acknowledge him for the player he is but it is obvious that he is in fact a club legend who has many fruitful years ahead of him at Old Trafford.
7) Marouane Fellaini – £27.5 million
Fellaini was forever a menace to United when he faced up to them playing for Everton and always seemed to pop up with crucial goals and assists to deprive United of potentially league-winning points. The solution? Buy him. The big Belgian was David Moyes’ first and only signing of the summer transfer window, arriving on deadline day in what some people see as a panic buy – which was probably justified in his first season. He was deployed mainly in a defensive role by Moyes, which was baffling considering that the Scotsman had been the one to successfully use him as a frontman for years at Everton. He made 16 league and Champions League appearances in his debut season, failing to score or assist but picking up a red card. His best performance came as a substitute against Olympiakos in the second leg of a last-16 game, where United were leading 3-2 and Marouane was brought on to see the game out, which he did in a very efficient manner.
His second season was much better and he was one of United’s key players throughout the season as he found the form he was in as an attacking player at Everton. He scored 4 goals which ended up winning United points, most of those winning three, such as his thumping header against West Bromwich Albion which was crucial in the race for 4th place. He also found the net against Manchester City in the 4-2 demolition at Old Trafford, much to the fan’s delight. It was one of his many standout performances as he made Yaya Toure look like a youth team player in a spell when United also beat Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool very confidently.
He has recently come out to say that he feels as though he performs best in a defensive role (see here for more) so it will be interesting to see what role he is given by Louis van Gaal in the upcoming season, especially if United do pick up another central midfielder in the transfer window. It could be the case that he is used as a starter in some games, such as those against the potential more physical Champions League opponents like Lazio, and benched against teams such as Barcelona where a more gentle approach is required.
6) Juan Sebastian Veron – £28.1 million
Veron’s transfer to Old Trafford from Lazio in July 2001 was one of much excitement; however he was largely a disappointment in Manchester. The more physical nature of the Premier League was no problem for the rock-hard centre back but the lack of time and space was a real issue for him. He fared much better in the Champions League where the games were more similar in style to what he has become accustomed to in Italy where he played for Sampdoria and Parma before Lazio. He was crucial to United’s group stage successes as he scored four goals and managed some impressive defensive performances.
Injury meant that he missed most of the latter part of the season so was unable to build upon his considerable improvements to make a success of his United career. In 2003, he stated that he wanted to stay and fight for his place but Sir Alex Ferguson allowed Chelsea to approach him over a transfer and after speaking to the then Blues manager Claudio Ranieri, he was convinced that London was where he had a chance at a successful Premier League career.
That did not amount to much more than his spell at United, however, as he was sent out on loan by new manager Jose Mourinho in his second season, after injuries meant he only made 15 appearances in his first one, although he had markedly improved upon his spell at United.
After successful loan spells at Inter Milan, winning the Coppa Italia and winning Serie A by default after match-fixing allegations led to Juventus being stripped of their trophy, Veron returned to Argentina to his favourite team, Estudiantes. The deal was made permanent a year later and he played out the rest of his career at various Argentinian teams.
His most successful spells were undoubtedly his two periods in Italy, for which he is most vividly remembered. He made over 500 appearances over his entire career and was a good player, although did not fit in at Old Trafford and was listed in The Times’ ’50 worst transfers in Premiership history’.
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