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Manchester United have spent well over a billion pounds of transfer fees over the past decade - this is their most expensive XI
Manchester United are taking the early steps into their latest new era, with Portuguese manager Ruben Amorim handed the daunting task of blowing away the cobwebs and alleviating the doom that has steadily enveloped Old Trafford since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement back in 2013.
Over the years, United have brought a host of exciting talents to the club, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Wayne Rooney. However, for every hit there have been a handful of misses, with the Red Devils' recruitment strategy coming under fire for their selections in recent years.
We've crunched the numbers and found Manchester United's most expensive XI of all-time, based on reported transfer fees when purchased:
Goalkeeper - Andre Onana
On his day, the Cameroon international is arguably one of the most gifted 'keepers in world football, combining smart shot stopping with an intelligent, composed approach to playing out from the back. However, catch him on an off day and he's prone to making another howler for his archive of goalkeeping blunder compilations.
The Red Devils parted with £51m to bring the ex-Ajax starlet from Inter to Old Trafford last year, and his improved recent run of form will give fans confidence they've got a solid choice between the sticks for years to come.
Right-back - Aaron Wan-Bisakka
Ah, what could have been. The ex-England international joined United from Crystal Palace for a mighty £50m back in 2019. Much like his former Eagles teammate Wilfried Zaha, things just didn't work out for the 27-year-old in Manchester. He spent a fair amount of his time at the club on the sidelines due to injury, and was forced to pay the price as Diogo Dalot established himself as the Red Devils' favoured starting right-back in his absence.
Wan-Bisakka is now looking to revive his career at West Ham - so far this season, he's scored as many goals as he managed during five campaign with United. Yikes.
Centre-back - Harry Maguire
Often the scapegoat for United's recent struggles, Maguire became the world's most expensive defender when he made the £80m move from Leicester City back in 2019. The ex-Sheffield United starlet has often seen his best form come in an England shirt, with the Three Lions proving a welcome respite from tough times at Old Trafford.
While he’s been continually linked with a move away from the club in recent times, those of an optimistic disposition might suggest he could fair well in a back three, having thrived there for England under Gareth Southgate.
Centre-back - Leny Yoro
Those who have lost the prime of their life to the beguiling siren that is Football Manager will be more than familiar with the £52m French wonderkid defender, who made his debut for United in their 2-0 loss to Arsenal earlier this month.
He's got all the tools to be a top quality Premier League centre-back, and it will be fascinating to see how he develops when thrown into the deep end at the age of 19.
Left-back - Luke Shaw
Some have suggested there is an intriguing pattern between the timing of Luke Shaw's various injuries and the release dates of Call of Duty games. While such claims are clearly nonsense - albeit amusing nonsense, something we at 3 Added Minutes thrive upon - there's no denying the frustration among United fans as the 29-year-old continues to suffer setback upon setback.
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Signed a whole decade ago from Southampton for £30m, the England international will be hoping to get fit and back to his best under Amorim, and could well to just that with a bit of freedom to bomb forward in a left wing-back position.
Central midfield - Paul Pogba
As we plough on through the eleven, there's an obvious pattern emerging: expensive Man Utd signings = ocean-deep frustration. This brings us to £89m signing Paul Pogba, capable of such majestic aplomb the ball at his feet, while equally prone to going completely missing in midfield. A roller-coaster second spell at Old Trafford ended with him heading back to Juventus after five seasons, in which he won both the Europa League and League Cup under Jose Mourinho.
He's now a free agent, after leaving Juventus following a doping ban. He'll be ready to ply his trade again in March 2025. Could a sensational return to Old Trafford be on the cards?
Central midfield - Casemiro
United fans rejoiced when the tenacious midfielder arrived from Real Madrid in a £60m move back in 2022. One of the players to see their form fall off a cliff during the doomed reign of Erik ten Hag, the Brazil international will be looking improve now Amorim is at the wheel. He will be fondly remembered for his stellar performance in United's 2023 League Cup final win, and perhaps less fondly for his penchant for a rash red card or two.
Attacking midfield - Antony
Oh boy, where to begin. The £86m winger that launched a thousand memes is a strong candidate for the club's worst big-money signing of all time. Eyebrows were raised to stratospheric levels when Erik ten Hag brought his former Ajax star in for a whopping transfer fee, and he's done little to justify it thus far.
But listen, it’s Christmas, let’s be charitable - we've seen players come to the Premier League and flop under one manager, before thriving under the next - Joelinton at Newcastle United, for example. Maybe Antony isn't the lost cause he appears to be just yet. That said, £86m could have fixed that leaky stadium roof with a few quid left over for a half-decent winger.
Attacking midfield - Bruno Fernandes
Now we're talking. The Portugal international took to Premier League football like a duck to water when he joined from Sporting CP in a £47m deal back in 2020. He's become renowned for his relentless, box-to-box style of play, as well as knowing exactly when to play a killer ball behind enemy lines.
As evidenced so far, United have seriously misspent their transfer funds in recent years, but Fernandes has to go down in the history books as an excellent piece of business.
Attacking midfield - Jadon Sancho
Well, that injection of positive energy was fun while it lasted. £73m was spent to bring the England international to Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund, and it turned out to be a spectacularly bad decision. After falling out with Ten Hag, Sancho was banished from the first team, making just three appearances last season.
Following a brief revival at the start of the current campaign where he was shoehorned into the striker’s role, he's now on loan at Chelsea, who have an obligation to buy the winger for around £20m at the end of the current season. £50m down the drain and a player brimming with potential sold to a direct Premier League rival, let's move on for this one pronto.
Striker - Romelu Lukaku
42 goals in 96 games wasn't a half bad return for the Belgium international, who arrived at United for £75m in 2017. Coming in off the back of an exhilarating three-season spell at Everton, the ex-Chelsea starlet racked up 27 goals in his first season.
And then Mourinho, as is customary, simply imploded. United won just seven of their first seventeen Premier League matches, and Lukaku claimed he was made a scapegoat as United's dire run of form saw the ‘Special One’ given his marching orders just before Christmas. United rallied under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and finished sixth in the table, but it wasn't enough to convince Lukaku to stay.
He joined Inter the following season for £74m, so at least it wasn’t another brutal financial loss for the Red Devils. Since then, he’s had spells of mixed fortune with the likes of Chelsea, Roma and Napoli, and sparked a major VAR debate after seeing a goal for Belgium controversially ruled out in last summer’s Euro 2024 tournament.
And there we have it - Man United’s most expensive XI of all-time. If there was ever a time for a (responsibly enjoyed) morale boosting glass of sherry and a mince pie, it may well be now.
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