Opinion
Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville recently ranked all of Manchester United’s signings since 2013 – splitting the players up into three main categories of green (worth the investment), amber (average) and red (failure). Here’s their list:
Green
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Bruno Fernandes
Amber
Ander Herrera
Luke Shaw
Nemanja Matić
Fred
Harry Maguire
Edison Cavani
Cristiano Ronaldo
Red
Marouane Fellani
Juan Mata
Marcos Rojo
Angel Di Maria
Daley Blind
Memphis Depay
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Matteo Darmian
Morgan Schneiderlin
Anthony Martial
Eric Bailly
Henrik Mkhitaryan
Paul Pogba
Victor Lindelöf
Romelu Lukaku
Alexis Sanchez
Diogo Dalot
Daniel James
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Donny Van De Beek
Alex Telles
Amad
Jadon Sancho
Raphaël Varane
Now, here’s my list, using the same categories.
Green
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Bruno Fernandes
Daley Blind
Ander Herrera
Cristiano Ronaldo
It blows my mind that Blind was assigned to the red category. The Dutchman cost less than €20 million and was a very consistent performer for the club as he took up positions in the midfield, centre-back and left-back – showing his versatility across the pitch.
Blind is one of the most intelligent footballers United has managed to acquire in the past nine years. You could bank on him producing a 7/10 performance nearly every single week.
Despite not producing many goals or assists in the midfield, Herrera was an absolute warrior that gave his all for the badge. Makes me think how desperate United are for a player like him given the current state of the midfield area.
Herrera played a massive role in United’s most successful period following Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure. Blind and Herrera claimed the FA Cup, League Cup, Europa League and Community Shield between 2016 and 2017. Also, who can forget his great individual shutout when he man-marked arguably the best player in the Premier League at the time, Eden Hazard, in the 2016-17 season?
Lastly, Ronaldo has to be green.
Without Ronaldo in that team last term, United would have ended up mid-table in the Premier League. He proved to be so valuable for the club as he managed to notch 18 Premier League goals – tied third-most in the league.
(Photo by John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)
The majority of people may say he should stay in ‘amber’ given the dramas surrounding his future this campaign, however, the most important aspect has been his ability to produce on the pitch at an elite level – at age 37 as well by the way.
Amber
Nemanja Matić
Edison Cavani
Luke Shaw
Paul Pogba
Anthony Martial
Victor Lindelöf
Paul Pogba’s selection in ‘amber’ is sure to ruffle some feathers. I have always been a firm believer that the club never did a good enough job of putting players around him in the midfield that would see him shine – much like how it was during his time spent in Italy with Juventus. He managed to produce glimpses of his talent here and there that showed he was one of the best midfielders in the league on his day.
On the flip side, Pogba was nowhere near as consistent on the pitch as he should have been considering the near-€100 million United spent on him. He was also never really close to winning a Premier League or Champions League title.
It is important to mention that he scored in United’s last cup final triumph when they claimed the Europa League in 2017.
Anthony Martial was a tough one for me to decide on, but I went ahead placing him in ‘amber’. I look back fondly at his first season at the club where he was able to deliver on the hype that surrounded him at that current time. You also have to recognise the 2019-20 season where he managed to produce 17 league goals being United’s out-and-out striker.
Like some of the players mentioned earlier, Martial has played his role in the small part of the Red Devils’ success post-Fergie. There have certainly been seasons where he has massively underperformed – most notably last season where he ended up playing on loan at Sevilla for the second part of the last campaign.
Lindelöf’s time at Old Trafford could be classified as a failure given the fact he has not managed to claim a single trophy since his arrival in 2017. However, he has been part of a backline that has always chopped and changed over the years, which has hindered his consistency.
Placing him in the ‘red’ category was a little harsh as his ball-playing ability is one of his best traits.
Red
Harry Maguire
Fred
Marouane Fellani
Juan Mata
Marcos Rojo
Angel Di Maria
Memphis Depay
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Matteo Darmian
Morgan Schneiderlin
Eric Bailly
Henrik Mkhitaryan
Romelu Lukaku
Alexis Sanchez
Diogo Dalot
Daniel James
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Donny Van De Beek
Alex Telles
Amad
Jadon Sancho
Raphaël Varane
Carragher and Neville provided a little protection around Maguire when they placed him in the ‘amber’ field, but there is no escaping the fact that he has been utterly disappointing for Manchester United.
Despite his career in red starting decently well, you cannot help but feel his performances over the past two years have been very underwhelming – especially for the club’s captain. His extraordinary transfer fee to bring him across to the red half of Manchester has only made things worse for him.
Fred has had countless opportunities in the midfield area to prove his worth, but the Brazilian has left fans frustrated on numerous occasions.
Another player that has yet to taste silverware with the club, Fred definitely gives his all on the pitch and that cannot be questioned, but he is prone to making too many simple errors in such important positions on the field.
What are your thoughts on these lists?
What changes would you make?
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