Jadon Sancho has completed his loan return to Borussia Dortmund from Manchester United, following a disappointing spell in the Premier League.
Sancho arrived in a £72.9m deal in 2021 with a reputation as one of Europe’s most exciting young players, but his career has stagnated with the Red Devils in recent campaigns.
The 23-year-old’s underwhelming performances and a public fallout with manager Erik ten Hag have led to his exit, returning to former club Dortmund aiming to reignite his career.
Sancho is one of several big-money signings to struggle at Manchester United over the last decade and we’ve attempted to list the worst signings since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
Angel Di Maria (£59.7m from Real Madrid)
After the disastrous short-lived succession plan involving David Moyes, the appointment of Louis van Gaal as Manchester United manager promised a return to success.
Van Gaal was backed in the transfer market during his first summer in charge, including a £59.7m British transfer record spend to land Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid. Fresh from winning the Champions League with the Spanish giants, Di Maria inherited the famous number seven shirt but faded rapidly after a bright start.
Unhappiness with life in Manchester contributed to an early exit for the Argentine, who was sold to Paris Saint-Germain at a loss after one underwhelming campaign at Old Trafford.
Paul Pogba (£89m from Juventus)
From a purely bad business perspective, it’s hard to top Paul Pogba’s move to Manchester United.
The French midfielder was allowed to leave the Red Devils on a free transfer in 2012, having failed to earn a first-team breakthrough. Four years later, he returned in an £89m world-record deal from Juventus, before departing to rejoin the Italian side six (underwhelming) seasons later for a fee of, er… nothing.
Pogba won the EFL Cup and Europa League during his debut campaign and had moments, but too often flattered to deceive in a Manchester United shirt. Add in the circus that often surrounded his future and the damaging dent he inflicted on the club’s balance sheet, and it’s a transfer nightmare.
Alexis Sanchez (Swap deal from Arsenal)
Alexis Sanchez’s arrival at Manchester United was considered a coup at the time. Signed in a swap deal with Arsenal that involved Henrikh Mkhitaryan heading to North London, the consensus was that the Red Devils had snared one of the Premier League’s best in a cut-price deal.
Sanchez had scored 80 goals in 166 games for the Gunners, with his exit only materialising as his contract wound down at the Emirates. The forward who had tormented defences in an Arsenal shirt was never seen in Manchester, however, as Sanchez struggled badly in an awful 18 months at Old Trafford.
The Chilean, who commanded record-breaking wages and a substantial signing-on fee, ended up costing the club a reported £11.5m per goal scored. He netted three league goals in 18 months, before being shipped off to Inter Milan.
Harry Maguire (£80m from Leicester)
Manchester United made Harry Maguire the most expensive defender in world football in 2019, spending £80m to sign the centre-back from Leicester. Maguire performed admirably for England at the previous summer’s World Cup and was signed with the task of leading the club’s backline.
Maguire’s first season was fairly impressive, but the defender has since suffered a downturn in form and confidence. The 30-year-old started just eight games in the Premier League last season and effectively found himself fifth-choice centre-back, with Luke Shaw preferred in an unfamiliar central role on occasion.
Maguire’s mobility and ability in possession have been punished in the higher defensive line favoured by the Premier League’s top teams. Despite a return to favour this season, in part due to injury problems at Manchester United, there are few who believe the England international has been value-for-money.
Donny van de Beek (£35m from Ajax)
Part of an exciting Ajax team that reached the 2018/19 Champions League semi-finals, Donny van de Beek’s reputation was on the rise when he signed for Manchester United.
The goalscoring midfielder joined in a £35m deal but found a Bruno Fernandes-shaped obstacle in his path to a regular first-team role. Van de Beek barely played, and when he did hardly impressed, starting just six Premier League games for the Red Devils in three-and-a-half seasons.
🗣 “It’s more easy to play in almost any other team than Man United because the pressure is that high always.”
Erik ten Hag has blamed injuries for ruining Donny van de Beek’s spell at Man Utd… 🤔 #MUFC pic.twitter.com/7h23GK15Bb
— Football365 (@F365) January 8, 2024
The appointment of former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag failed to improve his fortunes, with the Eredivisie import looking ill-equipped for English football. Now 26, he’s recently joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan.
Jadon Sancho (£72.9m from Borussia Dortmund)
Jadon Sancho’s unhappy time at Manchester United has come to a temporary end, with the winger re-joining Borussia Dortmund on loan.
Sancho was viewed as one of the most exciting talents in Europe at the time of his arrival at Old Trafford, having recorded 114 goals and assists in 137 appearances for Dortmund. That sort of elite production never came close to fruition in the Premier League, however, with a modest return of 12 goals in 82 games.
Man Utd confirm Jadon Sancho returns to Borussia Dortmund on loan until the end of the season ✍️ pic.twitter.com/7DYXRp4bnz
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 11, 2024
Having lost his place in the England team, Sancho was given extended leave last season to work on his fitness and mental state. The break failed to reignite his fortunes, and a public spat with Erik ten Hag – in which Sancho denied claims of unacceptable training performances – spelt the end.
The £72.9m recruit will now play out the remainder of the campaign with Dortmund, before an expected permanent exit in the summer. United are unlikely to recoup anything close to their initial investment.
Antony (£87m from Ajax)
Antony is the latest big-money signing under scrutiny at Manchester United, after struggling to make an impact since his arrival from Ajax. Erik ten Hag sought a reunion with the Brazil international after his appointment from the Dutch side, but Antony has failed to convince in a red shirt.
The 23-year-old’s first season with the club showed flashes of quality, though there has been a tangible lack of end product from the winger. He has just four goals and two assists in 41 Premier League appearances and has failed to record a goal involvement in the opening six months of the 2023/24 campaign.
Antony has been a predictable opponent for Premier League full-backs, one-footed and lacking the athletic attributes to trouble defenders. Though a willing worker, his lack of contribution in the final third is a huge concern for a player who turns 24 next month and has had 18 months to adapt to the demands of the division. Given the substantial investment, his move is an unquestionable failure as things stand.
Read – Sancho aiming to ‘play football with a smile’ after completing Dortmund return
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