Top 10 Manchester United signings of the decade
The 2010’s have been a decade of a few highs and several lows for Manchester United, as they try to cope with life after Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Red Devils kicked off the decade with a Premier League title in 2011 before Manchester City won their first one by the finest of margins a year later.
With his impending retirement looming over Old Trafford, Ferguson worked his magic once more by reclaiming the league in emphatic fashion in an emotional final season.
It’s fair to say that things haven’t worked out since then. “The Chosen One”, David Moyes, turned out to be a huge bust. as United finished 7th. The Scot was sacked before the season ended.
Louis van Gaal was only marginally better. The lack of a long-term plan and poor recruitment meant that they slipped further behind their top 6 rivals with each passing year. Jose Mourinho provided temporary relief by winning 3 minor titles.
The appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjær was a notable departure from club policy. The Norwegian has made some astute signings and overseen some big results, but performances against smaller clubs remains an issue. A few more signings might change things though.
Transfers have been a sore spot recently. Big money flops like Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao and Romelu Lukaku have not done much to reinforce the fans’ belief in the club’s scouting system. But there have been some good ones as well.
As United prepare to take their first step into the next decade, let’s take a look at their 10 best signings of the current one:
#10 Daley Blind (£13.8 million from Ajax in 2014)
Utility man Daley Blind was a shrewd signing by van Gaal. Arriving from Ajax for a very reasonable fee, he played in a variety of positions for United during his 4 seasons at the club.
As a center back, he formed a reasonably solid partnership with Chris Smalling. His abilities on the ball often helped his team start attacks from the back.
He wasn’t the most attack minded left back, but he provided some stability down that flank during a period when Luke Shaw was out injured. He also provided cover in midfield whenever called upon.
The Old Trafford faithful will probably remember him best for an exquisite goal that he scored at home in a 3-1 win against Liverpool 4 years ago.
His return to Ajax was a puzzling one. His performances with the rejuvenated Dutch giants have shown that the club could have perhaps saved the £80 million they spent this summer on Harry Maguire.
Considering his transfer fee and his consistency, Blind can definitely be classified as a big success.