REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
The recruitment at Manchester United since Sir Jim Ratcliffe arrived has been better, but the Red Devils are still paying the price for a number of years of rash spending at Old Trafford.
That was evident against their fierce rivals Manchester City on Sunday when they struggled to create a clear-cut chance despite playing ten men for a large part of the game.
REUTERS/Scott Heppell
Between the 7th and 95th minute, before Bryan Mbeumo's big chance, they created just 0.04 expected goals on target, rubberstamping the issues they continue to face in the final third.
Expected goals on target (xGOT), also known as post-shot xG, measures the quality of a shot after it has been struck.
While Gianluigi Donnarumma's late save to deny Mbeumo was first-class, the winger really should have scored. It was a miss that the likes of Antony and Jadon Sancho would have been proud of.
The numbers behind Sancho's Man Utd career
To their credit, the recruitment has improved over the last two summers. While 2026 was about rebuilding the midfield, 2025 was about improving the attack. They certainly achieved that with the signings of Premier League-proven Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha.
Before that, however, the forward line at Old Trafford was a wasteland of unfulfilled talent. Nothing summed that up more than Sancho and Antony.
sancho-premier-league-manchester-united-tottenham-moura-transfer
Big-money signings, the forwards are now regarded as two of the worst transfers in Premier League history, such were their price tags and subsequent performances in English football.
Signed in the summer of 2021, Sancho headed to United as one of the best young attackers in English football at the time. At Borussia Dortmund he was a sensation, scoring 16 goals and supplying 18 assists during his final full season in Germany. A £73m transfer fee was warranted.
Yet, the former Man City academy gem never lived up to the hype. He eventually departed this summer on a free transfer and it speaks volumes that he is still without a club.
At United, the 26-year-old only ever scored 12 goals in 83 appearances. He also supplied just six assists. For someone billed as the future of English football, he was desparetely underwhelming.
The numbers behind Antony's Man Utd career
The addition of Antony was arguably even worse. Just a year after Sancho's arrival, they spent a mind-boggling £86m to sign him from Ajax and like his English colleague, things did not go well.
||
|Man Utd's record signings|
|Player|Fee|Year|
|---|
|Paul Pogba|£89m|2016|
|Antony|£86m|2022|
|Harry Maguire|£80m|2019|
|Romelu Lukaku|£75m|2017|
|Jadon Sancho|£73m|2021|
|Bryan Mbeumo|£71m|2025|
|Carlos Baleba|£70m|2026|
|Benjamin Sesko|£66.4m|2025|
|Rasmus Hojlund|£64m|2022|
|Matheus Cunha|£62.5m|2025|
In 96 matches, he scored the same number of goals as Sancho and only assisted five times. In fact, he picked up more yellow cards (14) than he scored goals. That just about sums things up.
Between them, they are distinctly poor signings. It has scarred United beyond belief. The fact they didn't pay up for players like Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes this summer is likely still a hangover from the Sancho and Antony deals.
antony man utd
Now, in the present day, a similarly poor duo have emerged under Michael Carrick's stewardship.
The new Sancho and Antony have emerged at Man Utd
While at United, the two forwards played 21 games together. Unsurprisingly, in that time, they did not assist each other. It was desperate times indeed.
In Cunha, Mbeumo and Co, Carrick's forward line certainly looks more menacing than it did under Ten Hag and Ruben Amorim. The defence, however, hasn't improved from those times.
REUTERS/Cathal Mcnaughton
The 1-0 defeat at the hands of City on Sunday illuminated their problems going forward but it also highlighted how poor they are at the back.
Sure, the Red Devils are missing Matthijs De Ligt, a stalwart of last season. Luke Shaw was also absent for the visit of Enzo Maresca's side.
Yet, at full-back, big problems are brewing, problems akin to that of Sancho and Antony. Over the summer, the rumour on the street was that United would sign a left-back at the very least. Newcastle's Lewis Hall was a key target and Barcelona's Alejandro Balde was also looked at. Neither joined and how the recruitment team must now regret that.
REUTERS/Craig Brough
That's because the performances of Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dorgu on Sunday evening were not good enough to say the least. Should we be surprised at this point? Definitely not.
dorgu-man-utd
Dorgu has been anything but competent defensively since signing for the club in a £25m deal. It says it all that Carrick preferred to utilise him as a winger in the early stages of his tenure. His goal against Arsenal will live long in the memory but United are better than fielding a full-back in attack.
Selected as a left-back in light of Shaw's injury on Sunday, it did not go well. The fact is that Dorgu is never secure defensively. He won seven of his 12 duels at the weekend which isn't too bad but he was caught out time and time again in the first half before Phil Foden's early sending off.
Patrick Dorgu and Phil Foden
His involvement in the goal was also abject. His headed clearance halfway into the United half was timid to say the least and it ended up straight at the feet of Iliman Ndiaye.
As City progressed the ball to the edge of the box, the Dane retreated but was caught in no man's land and out of position. Somehow filling in at right-back, he deflected Josko Gvardiol's cross into the path of Erling Haaland who had a tap in.
||
Dalot vs Man City
Minutes played
Touches
Accurate passes
Key passes
Accurate crosses
Dribbles
Shots
Duels won
Tackles
Ball recoveries
Dalot was not much better either. The £19m signing gave away possession on two occasions in dangerous areas and like Dorgu, looked shaky at the back. Again, this is nothing new. Just how the Portuguese has made it to 250 appearances for the club is anyone's guess.
Between them, they are a big concern for United, perhaps the biggest concern since they had Antony and Sancho on the wings. They should be looking to sign replacements in January.
TV pundit Gary Neville before the match
TV pundit Gary Neville before the match