Manchester United’s transfer strategy in recent years has seen them come under fire, wasting hundreds of millions of pounds on players who simply aren’t up to the level required of the Premier League.
Former boss Erik ten Hag is partly to blame for their recruitment, spending over £600m on new additions during his tenure in charge at Old Trafford.
In an attempt to combat their recent woes, Dan Ashworth was brought in from Newcastle United a couple of months ago but has already left his post after a fallout with Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
INEOS' Sir Jim Ratcliffe
The 53-year-old was only in the role as Sporting Director for five months, overseeing the last transfer window under Ten Hag that saw another £200m splashed before his dismissal.
However, it was one deal before he moved to the North West that may look to be a mistake, especially considering his unforgivable errors in the latest outing.
Andre Onana’s move to Manchester United
The summer of 2023 saw various areas of the pitch undergo an overhaul to try and build on the third-place finish achieved during the season prior.
Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount both arrived to provide added firepower in attacking areas, with the pair costing the hierarchy over £120m in the process.
mason-mount
However, the departure of fan-favourite David De Gea left a huge hole between the sticks that desperately needed filling ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
The Spaniard, who made 545 appearances for the Red Devils, was let go at the end of his contract by Ten Hag, who opted to sign Andre Onana for £47m - believing that the Cameroonian would be a better fit in terms of playing out from the back.
Whilst there’s no denying that the 28-year-old has produced some impressive moments, his errors will always be the ones that are remembered, especially when they contribute to a defeat.
His errors against Nottingham Forest last night were unforgivable, leading Ruben Amorim to his first defeat on home soil since his appointment at the end of last month.
Onana was unable to keep out efforts from Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood, leading them to a second consecutive defeat. As a result, Amorim already has a huge task on his hands.
It could have been made easier had the club completed a deal for another goalkeeper, rather than opting for a move to land the Cameroonian. Here is who they could have signed instead...
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One that got away
One that got away
The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast's One That Got Away series.
Man United's Onana alternative
After losing such a key member in De Gea, the job of replacing the Spaniard was always going to be a tricky task, placing huge expectations onto his replacement - which ultimately ended up being Onana.
Onana
The move undoubtedly came about after his time playing under Ten Hag at Ajax, reuniting the pair - a common theme with the majority of the additions during his time at the helm.
However, during the same period of the goalkeeping overhaul, there were numerous reports linking Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with a big-money transfer to Old Trafford.
The Belgian, who’s previously been dubbed as “world-class” by journalist Harri Burton, featured in the Premier League for Chelsea, before joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2018.
During his glittering career, the 32-year-old has won six league titles to date, undoubtedly cementing himself as one of the best ‘keepers in the world over recent years.
Thibaut Courtois' stats for Real Madrid
Season
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23
2023/24
2024/25
Stats via Transfermarkt
Since his transfer to the Bernabeu, Courtois has also helped the Spanish giants to win two Champions League trophies, producing a Man of the Match display against Liverpool in the final back in the 2021/22 season.
Given his massive success as a player, coupled with Onana’s recent mistakes, the club may have wished they had forked out the added money needed to secure the services of the Belgian.
Belgium-Thibaut-Courtois-real-madrid
His experience at the top level, coupled with his winning mentality would’ve added the leadership and quality needed to end their recent run without a Premier League title.
However, he will remain as one who got away, leaving United supporters with a case of what could’ve been had they signed him instead of the current number one.
Man-Utd-Ugarte-Garnacho-Rashford Related
[Amorim must drop 5/10 Man United dud who Ashworth thinks is "really good"](https://www.footballfancast.com/amorim-simply-must-axe-man-utd-dud-alejandro-garnacho/ "Amorim must drop 5/10 Man United dud who Ashworth thinks is "really good"")
Manchester United suffered a second consecutive defeat under Ruben Amorim last night.