Manchester United: 15 Worst Transfers in Red Devils History

Manchester United are one of the richest clubs in the world and have the financial clout to bring the best players to the “Theatre of Dreams.”

However, a dream acquisition can sometimes turn into an unmitigated nightmare.

A club is only as good or as great as the players it has at its disposal and the reason it may or may not bask in glorious moments.

United demand the best and are not short of players clamoring to be part of its famous history.

So when the transfer window opens for business, United, like most successful clubs, will be ready and willing to put their money where their mouth is.

Sometimes they’d have wished they’d kept their mouths shut and their money firmly in their pockets.

These are the 15 worst transfers in Manchester United's history.

15. Cristiano Ronaldo

Position: Winger/Striker

Fee from Sporting CP in 2003: £12.2 million

Sold to Real Madrid in 2009: £80 million

Why does Ronaldo feature in this slide, you might ask?

It was one of greatest business moves United had ever pulled off—at close to a £70 million profit, it was the scoop of the century.

However, when you think about what Ronaldo brought to United in its entirety, it could be said that he surpasses that amount.

From 2007 until his departure, Ronaldo scored 118 goals in 155 appearances in all competitions.

And if that wasn’t enough, he has shown his scoring record with United was not a fluke by amassing over 90 goals in a 100-plus games for Real Madrid.

The likes of Danny Welbeck, Javier Hernandez or even Wayne Rooney can’t achieve that feat, at least not presently.

Astute business, but Ronaldo is irreplaceable.

14. Jaap Stam

Position: Defender

Fee from PSV Eindhoven in 1998: £10.75 million

Sold to Lazio in 2001: £16.5 million

United made a profit of nearly £6 million with the sale of Stam.

He was probably one of the best defenders to have ever played for United, and his sudden departure raised a few eyebrows to say the least.

The reason he was sold to Lazio according to his autobiography—Head to Head—alleged Ferguson had tried tapping him up without PSV Eindhoven's knowledge.

Whether that was the reason or not, United lost a very good defender in Stam.

Besides his time at Lazio, he also played for both AC Milan and Ajax and proved he was still a top-tier footballer.

13. Ralph Milne

Position: Midfielder

Fee from Bristol in 1988: £170,000

After his contract expired, he left in 1991 for Sing Tao.

Milne only makes this 15 due to the fact United fans rate him as one of the worst ever players to pull on a Red Devils jersey.

In his three years at United (his loan spell at West Ham United not included), he managed to score three goals in 23 appearances.

12. Dimitar Berbatov

Position: Striker

Fee from Tottenham Hotspur in 2008: £30.75 million

It was Berbatov’s skill set that garnered an interest in United signing him. It was that same skill set that they were hoping would give them that extra push they needed to make a challenge for European honors.

In the Premier League, Berbatov performed well but for the most part was inconsistent. In Europe, he fared no better, scoring four goals in 23 appearances.

This led many to believe he wasn’t worth the money spent on him.

And who could blame them? An investment of £30-plus million deserved some sort of reward.

At present, Berbatov has found himself frozen out of the first team, with Ferguson opting to use the likes of Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck instead.

Whether he stays for the remainder of his contract is anyone’s guess.

Either way, United would be hard-pressed to get anything in the region of £10 million for the Bulgarian striker.

The jury is still out on Berbatov.

11. Bébé

Position: Striker

Fee from Vitória de Guimarães in 2010: £7.4 million

Since his move to United, Bébé has made just four appearances and scored two goals.

Two goals in four games doesn’t sound bad, but with the amount of money spent on him, he should feature more for the first team.

At present, the 21-year-old is on loan at Turkish outfit Beşiktaş.

He has age on his side, so there’s always room for improvement.

10. Louis Saha

Position: Striker

Fee from Fulham in 2004: £12.8 million

Sold to Everton in 2008: Undisclosed fee

Saha can’t be blamed for the incessant injuries that blighted the last three years of his tenure at United. He still managed to score 42 goals in 120 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils.

Not bad for a player who had been sidelined with injuries for most of his time at Old Trafford.

However, in hindsight, it still smacks of a bad investment.

9. Owen Hargreaves

Position: Midfielder

Fee from Bayern Munich in 2007: £17 million

After his contract expired, he left in 2011 for Manchester City.

Hargreaves was another of those United players that were prone to injury—from 2008 onwards, his playing career was hampered by a series of knee injuries and operations.

In his four years at Old Trafford, he made just 39 appearances, scoring just two goals total.

Hargreaves's signing was by far one of the worst in the history of United in regards to the £17 million spent on his acquisition.

Profit—zilch.

8. David Bellion

Position: Striker

Fee from Sunderland in 2003: £2 million

Sold to Nice in 2006: Undisclosed fee

He had a frustrating time at United and was never able to force his way into the first team rotation.

Bellion made 24 appearances for United and scored four goals. That works out to £500,000 per goal.

He now plays for Bordeaux but has since been loaned out to Nice.

7. Manucho

Moved from Petro Atlético in 2008: Undisclosed fee

Sold to Real Valladolid in 2009: Undisclosed fee

Manucho never made an impact at United—he had problems gaining a UK work permit and was thus loaned out to Panathinaikos.

After receiving his work permit, he played just one game before another loan spell at Hull City.

A year later, he was sold to Real Valladolid.

6. Jordi Cruyff

Position: Midfielder

Fee from Barcelona in 1996: £1.3 million

His contract expired, and he left in 2000 for Alavés.

The young Cruyff joined United with all the pomp bestowed upon the son of a footballing legend, one Johan Cruyff.

They might have shared the same surname, but that’s where the comparison ended—Cruyff rarely played for the first team due to a catalogue of injuries and was loaned out to Celta Vigo.

In his four-year tenure at the club, he made 54 appearances and scored eight goals.

With regards to the fee spent for his acquisition, it’s nothing compared to what some of the others cost, but he was the son of Johan so maybe more was expected of him.

5. José Kléberson

Position: Midfielder

Fee from Atlético Paranaense in 2003: £5.9 million

Sold to Beşiktaş in 2005: £2.5 million

Kléberson was brought in to replace Juan Sebastián Verón, but he was injured in his second game for the club.

He ended up playing a total of 20 games in his two seasons at Old Trafford, scoring twice.

He spent two years at Beşiktaş before returning to Brazil and joining Flamengo.

At present, he’s loaned out to Atlético Paranaense

4. Diego Forlan

Position: Striker

Fee from Independiente in 2002: £6.9 million

Sold to Villarreal in 2004: £3 million

It took Forlan an amazing eight months to register a goal with the Red Devils, and then the rot really set in. Over 95 appearances for United, he only managed to score a measly 17 goals.

By that time, Ferguson and the fans had had enough and he was sent packing to Spain.

Funny enough, his time in Spain has been nothing short of amazing—he's amassed 109 goals in 205 appearances for both Villarreal and Athlético Madrid.

His feat resulted in him winning both the La Liga Pichichi Trophy and European Golden Boot, not once but twice.

Forlan now plays for F.C Internazionale Milan.

3. Massimo Taibi

Position: Goal Keeper

Fee from Venezia in 1999: £4.5 million

Sold to Reggina in 2000: £2.5 million

Taibi was supposed to be Peter Schmeichel’s replacement but was shipped back to Reggina after only four games.

Largely in part thanks to his howler against Southampton and in particular the Matthew Le Tissier goal (he was dubbed “The Blind Venetian” afterwards).

Taibi retired from professional football in 2009.

2. Eric Djemba-Djemba

Position: Midfielder

Fee from Nantes in 2003: £3.5 million

Sold to Aston Villa in 2005: £1.5 million

Djemba-Djemba was touted as the heir-apparent to midfield king Roy Keane, but he could never hold down a first team place.

Maybe not his fault given the talent Sir Alex Ferguson had at his disposal.

After his spell at Villa, he was loaned out to Burnley before signing for Qatar SC.

He now plies his trade at Danish club Odense Boldklub.

1. Juan Sebastián Verón

Position: Midfielder

Fee from Lazio in 2001: £28.1 million

Sold to Chelsea in 2003: £14 million

The Argentine was a great player but failed to live up to expectations—he struggled to adapt to the fast paced game of the Premier League, and after only two seasons was sold to Chelsea.

He played 14 games for Chelsea and was loaned out to Inter Milan, where he eventually signed for free.

Veron now plays for Argentinian outfit Estudiantes.