It is eight years since Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement as Manchester United manager. Since May 2013, the club has endured its fair share of ups and downs, with triumphs and mistakes coming in almost equal measure. The Premier League title has eluded United in that time, although Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s current squad looks to be getting closer to a genuine tile at the crown next season. There have been some good players in that time, along with some questionable transfer decisions. But which are the mistakes that stand out?
Memphis Depay
The Dutchman arrived in the summer of 2015 with so much potential, touted as one of Europe’s biggest talents for the future after he’d shone for PSV Eindhoven. In truth, United didn’t give him the time to settle after such a big transfer so young in his career. There was no doubting Memphis had the ability, as he’s shown for Lyon since. But Jose Mourinho quickly ran out of patience with him and cut short Memphis’ United career. He was inconsistent and occasionally infuriating, but he would surely have exhibited his talent given more time at Old Trafford.
Ander Herrera
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been justified to an extent since Herrera departed last summer, on a free. Fred and Scott McTominay have both stepped up a huge amount to replace the Basque midfielder, who is now at Paris Saint-Germain. But United always looked a better side with Herrera’s hustle and bustle in midfield. Each defeat really hurt him and he has even recently admitted he didn’t really want to leave the club, amid a contract dispute. There’s no doubt Herrera could have stayed for a year or two longer and been a valuable player for Solskjaer.
Jonny Evans
At the time, letting Evans leave Old Trafford seemed like a fair enough call. He hadn’t been getting game time under Louis van Gaal and United had a gamut of other centre-back choices. But after Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic had left in 2014, it probably wasn’t wise, in hindsight, to sanction Evans’ departure. He could have brought some stability and leadership to the back line which was all too erratic with the likes of Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo in it. Evans is now 33 and still proving his worth for Leicester.
Wilfried Zaha
Zaha will always be the one that got away, simply because United fans never really got to see him in action. He was Ferguson’s last ever signing, though by the time he arrived the legendary Scot had retired and David Moyes was in place. Moyes didn’t back Zaha’s ability and so he quickly went out on loan to Cardiff, before completing a return to Crystal Palace soon after. Zaha has shown consistently at Selhurst Park that he’s a top-level Premier League player and might – if he’d been given the chance – have been good enough for United.
Rafael da Silva
The much-loved Brazilian right-back was another player United let go in the Van Gaal era and the decision still seems strange to this day, especially given that Matteo Darmian, Antonio Valencia and Guillermo Varela were the men who replaced him. Rafael was, for periods under Ferguson, an excellent attacking full-back, who more than played his part in three Premier League title wins. He starred at Lyon and then faced United while with Istanbul Basaksehir, but he could have been United’s right-back for more than a decade.
