There have been a number of World Cup stars who have headed for Old Trafford following successful campaigns at the major tournament
Wayne Rooney of Man Utd (2L) celebrates with teammates Ander Herrera (L), Marcos Rojo (2R) and Angel Di Maria (R) after scoring their 3rd goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Queens Park Rangers at Old Trafford on September 14, 2014 in Manchester, England.
Wayne Rooney of Man Utd (2L) celebrates with teammates Ander Herrera (L), Marcos Rojo (2R) and Angel Di Maria (R) after scoring their 3rd goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Queens Park Rangers at Old Trafford on September 14, 2014 in Manchester, England.
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Manchester United have gone on to sign plenty of stars who shone brightly at past World Cups. The club will be keeping a keen eye on this year's major tournament, as Michael Carrick singles out players to add to his transfer wishlist during the summer.
The new boss will be following in the previous manager's footsteps if he decides to sign any stars based on their performance across the Atlantic. For example, Louis van Gaal stepped into the hot seat immediately after leading the Netherlands to a third-place finish at the 2014 World Cup.
This led to multiple stars joining United after impressive performances for their countries. Erik ten Hag also made two loan signings following the World Cup 2022.
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£74m finalist duo sign
Following the 2014 tournament, Van Gaal signed a deal to become United's new boss and started his reign by securing two of Argentina's top stars. Angel di Maria signed for a British record transfer fee of around £59.7million, locking in on a five-year deal.
The winger made it all the way to the final of the World Cup that year, losing in extra time to Germany. He had joined United from Real Madrid but later admitted it was "never his desire" to depart the Spanish giants.
The Argentina international failed to live up to the expectations of his transfer fee, spending just a year at Old Trafford. He scored four goals and assisted 11 times in 32 appearances and was sold to Paris Saint-Germain for a fee of £44.3m.
Angel di Maria.
Angel di Maria joined Louis van Gaal at United(Image: John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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Di Maria wasn't the only Argentine who joined United following the World Cup in 2014. Marcos Rojo made the move from Sporting to Old Trafford for a fee of £16m, also signing a five-year deal.
He had a different feeling about signing for the Premier League giants than Di Maria did. The defender admitted that joining "the world's biggest club" was "a dream."
Rojo also spent a lot longer at Old Trafford, making 122 appearances and scoring two goals as a centre-half. The Argentine went on loan to Club Estudiantes de la Plata and Boca Juniors during his tenure and eventually left in 2021.
He signed a permanent deal with Boca Juniors as a free agent and still plays for Racing Club in Argentina.
Marcos Rojo.
Marcos Rojo was at United a lot longer than his national teammate(Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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Brazilian star who Ronaldinho tricked
United signed a Brazilian World Cup winner who claimed he was tricked into moving to Old Trafford by international teammate Ronaldinho. Kleberson joined Sir Alex Ferguson's side in the same transfer window as the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo, but didn't reach anywhere near the same heights as the Portuguese legend.
The midfielder agreed a five-year deal for a fee of £6.5m in 2003, a year after announcing himself to the world with his performances in Japan and South Korea. But he confessed years later that he was only choosing United because Ronaldinho was meant to join as well.
Discussing the transfer in 2019, the former Brazil international said: "There were two clubs interested in signing me: Manchester United and Leeds. It was an easy choice, but there's a funny story about it, too.
"When United's interest in me was confirmed, I was with the national team in France for the FIFA Confederations Cup. I can remember it clearly: I was with Ronaldinho and his brother/agent, Assis. He said, 'They want to sign both of us,' and I said, 'OK, let's go, then!'
Kleberson and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Kleberson joined in the same transfer window as Cristiano Ronaldo(Image: John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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"I was so glad that he would be coming with me. I went back to Brazil and kept negotiating with United, but then Ronaldinho fooled me and went to play in the warm weather at Barcelona! He sent me to Manchester."
Kleberson added: "That's a joke between us until today. He knows that he owes me one." The midfielder spent two seasons at United, managing just 30 appearances before joining Besiktas.
Loan pairing
Erik ten Hag made some World Cup signings of his own when he was at United, but kept them on a temporary basis to avoid wasting additional money. Following the World Cup in Qatar, Sofyan Amrabat and Wout Weghorst made the move to Old Trafford on loan deals worth a combined £11m.
Wout Weghorst.
Wout Weghorst loved his time at Old Trafford(Image: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
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Weghorst joined United from Burnley for a loan fee of just £2.6m, temporarily filling the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo after his acrimonious departure. The 6'6" striker made just five goal contributions for the club but wasn't lacking in passion.
After he left in 2023, the Dutchman wrote a letter of thanks to the fans as he headed back to Burnley. Weghorst said: "Dear Manchester United fans. Thanks for everything. I really enjoyed every single second at this club, from winning silverware to scoring my first goal, against Betis at Old Trafford.
"Dreams came true. Unbelievably proud to wear the badge. Wish you all the best for the future. Manchester United fans - thank you for everything."
Sofyan Amrabat
Sofyan Amrabat could've joined United for around £21m(Image: Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
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Following his impressive performances for Morocco, Amrabat signed for United on a season-long loan the subsequent summer. The defensive midfielder helped his country reach a historic semi-final appearance against France, standing out for a perfectly timed tackle on Kylian Mbappe during that game.
His initial loan fee was a hefty £8.5m, but United also had an option to purchase the 29-year-old for £21.4m. Ten Hag opted against triggering this clause after Amrabat failed to reach the same heights at Old Trafford.
He made 30 appearances across the campaign, not contributing a single goal or assist and returned to Fiorentina.