Top 10 Manchester United signings of the decade

#1 Robin van Persie (£22.5 million from Arsenal in 2012)

Was it really going to be anyone else?

It’s hard to believe that fans were skeptical about van Persie’s transfer fee when he was signed in 2012, given that he was 29 years old. A striker of his quality would surely cost 5 times more today.

The Dutchman made an instant impact. He scored with his very first shot for the club in a 3-2 victory over Fulham, in what would be the first of 26 goals that propelled United to their last league title.

Van Persie had already developed a reputation at Arsenal, but the Premier League truly wasn’t ready for him in his first season at Old Trafford. Less than a month after he signed, he had already scored his first hat trick (against Southampton).

He continued to register important strikes, scoring at a prolific rate. He developed an incredible partnership with Wayne Rooney, with the latter dropping into a creative midfield role and supplying assists.

In a home match against Aston Villa, with 4 matches to go, van Persie netted a brilliant hat trick to clinch the league. He was voted Player of the Season soon after.

It’s a pity that van Persie was never quite the same after Ferguson left. He still provided some iconic moments, scoring 3 goals against Olympiakos to overturn a 2 goal deficit from the first leg in the Champions League last 16.

He eventually departed for Fenerbahce in 2015. After two and a half seasons in Turkey, he returned to boyhood club Feyenoord in 2018, helping them win the KNVB Cup before retiring earlier this year.