Wayne Rooney has namedropped three former Manchester United signings, including Paul Pogba, while giving a brutal assessment of the club’s recruitment before last summer’s transfer window.
The Red Devils’ all-time top goalscorer left Old Trafford in the summer of 2017 amid the team’s remarkable fall from grace in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. They were still willing to splash the cash, in fact,
paying a then-club record £89 million to re-sign Pogba a year before Rooney’s departure.
Pogba was just one of many big-money acquisitions made during this period, and there is an argument that the Glazers’ recruitment was more focused on commercial value rather than sporting contribution. Each summer, they had one or two high-profile names lined up, and many of them failed to reach expectations, including Jadon Sancho, who arrived from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2021 for £74 million.
Man Utd’s ‘Big Name’ Recruitment Was Horrendous’ – Rooney
United’s most successful season since Ferguson retired in 2013 came in 2016-17, when Jose Mourinho led his side to Europa League glory after delivering the Carabao Cup. The Portuguese tactician was helped along the way by Zlatan Ibrahimovic who scored a brace in a 3-2 win over Southampton in the cup final at Wembley.
Rooney suggested Ibrahimovic was one of three players who fall into the category of ‘big names’ that set the club back because of the finances involved in securing their signature. He said during a guest appearance on The Overlap Fan Debate:
“The recruitment at Manchester United before last summer was horrendous. They were just bringing big names in – you look at Lukaku, Zlatan, Pogba – they’re good players but they were just bringing names in and spending enormous amounts of money.”
Ibrahimovic didn’t cost a penny because he arrived as a free agent after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired in the summer of 2016. But the former Swedish striker was reportedly earning over £19 million per year at United, a hefty fee for a player in his mid-thirties.
Romelu Lukaku joined Ibrahimovic at the club in the summer of 2017 for £75 million after the Belgian frontman had shone at Everton but he failed to replicate such form while with the Red Devils. His signing also proved costly for his Swedish strike partner who opted to leave in the second half of that campaign.
Rooney added:
‘It’s going to take a bit of time to get over those mistakes.”
The Glazers and former chief executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward have been heavily criticized over the years, including on the recruitment front, as aging players have been handed new contracts and several signings have overpaid for. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team took over the club’s sporting operations in February 2024 and have overseen the past two summer transfer windows.
Did Man United Enjoy Their Best Post-Sir Alex Transfer Window?
United were busy this past summer, spending over £200 million on new signings to help Ruben Amorim try and turn things around at Old Trafford following a disastrous 15th-placed finish last season. Matheus Cunha was the first arrival, joining on the very first day of the window after the club triggered the £62.5 million release clause in his Wolverhampton Wanderers contract.
Their transfer chiefs then took their time negotiating a deal for Bryan Mbeumo but finally agreed on a £70 million fee with Brentford for the Cameroonian attacker. Benjamin Sesko followed him through the door, with INEOS beating Newcastle United to the Slovenian striker’s signature for £73 million.
A new goalkeeper became a must in the dying embers of the window amid poor performances from Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir. The club’s scouts took a risk and went with Senne Lammens over proven shot-stoppers, paying Royal Antwerp around £18 million.
It’s fair to say that Mbeumo has already lived up to expectations, thriving out on the right and proving to be one of the Premier League’s best wingers. Where Cunha is struggling is in the goal department but his performances have been promising on the left of a three-man attack.
Sesko has failed to win over Gary Neville but he is adjusting to life in England and trying to adapt to English top-flight football after years in the Bundesliga. But Lammens may be the biggest game-changing signing, as his calm demeanor and reliable shot-stopping abilities instill confidence in his defence who have been impressive with him between the sticks.
