Manchester United, revisiting summer 2012: Transfer successes and fails

The summer of 2012 was the beginning of Sir Alex Ferguson’s last year in charge of Manchester United. Here’s how his four signings that summer are judged.

Everyone assumed the end was near for Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2012 as much as fans refused to conceptualize the thought that he may not be chomping on gum up and down the Old Trafford touch-line.

It was to be that 2012-13 would be his last season in charge of the club, something that was not confirmed nor made public until after the season.

The season ended with a familiar sight: Manchester United lifting the Premier League trophy. That was the only way he’d ever go out.

Nearly a year before that, the summer of 2012, the finishing touches were put on the squad that would go on and lift the trophy. Ferguson made a few signings, looking for quality over quantity. He tried to peer to the future with a pair of signings as well as the here and now for the other two.

How’d they work out? Were they successes based on their price tag and output for the club?

In a generalization, not really. But they helped deliver Ferguson one last title and that’s all that matters.

Without the signings, well one signing really, it’s a big question if they would have won it or not.

It’s still better than the ignominious summers that David Moyes and Louis van Gaal would have after him, of course.

Next: Nick Powell