Most Disappointing Signings

Loony BoB

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Who were the most disappointing signings at the time of signing? Not talking about whether they came good or went bad after being hyped at first - just speaking about players United signed that the fanbase in general looked at as a terrible signing at the time they were brought in.

I remember Dong being laughed out as a commercial signing, and Bebé was a big uncertainty. Not sure if I can recall a first team signing that came off that way though.

Owen, perhaps?
 

Cassidy

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Fellaini, Ighalo, Cavani
 

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Yeah it's hard to beat Fellaini

Maguire too, I was a bit perplexed we were spending £80m on him.
 

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To go the other way though, I was a bit meh over the Evra signing... Wasn't like outraged or thought it was terrible or anything just wondered why we got him when we had Heinze already.

I was definitely wrong about that one!
 

sullydnl

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Fellaini is the obvious choice.

Though even for cheap, Arnautovic will be right up there given he's both a proven prick and a proven ordinary footballer.
 

Chip

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Besides Fellaini and possibly Arnautovic and Rabiot, Darmian, Dalot, Ighalo, James, Telles, and Büttner weren't exactly exciting signings.

Valencia as replacement for Ronaldo was disappointing. The whole window with Valencia, Obertan, Mame Diouf, and Valencia was disappointing as we'd just lost Ronaldo.
 

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Not because it was Carrick but because he was our only signing that summer and it felt like it wasn't nearly enough... Carrick. How wrong we were.

Bebe, Owen, Ighalo, Maguire, Fellaini are all up there.
 

Samid

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I was on vacation and got told we had signed Ronaldo. When I got home I found out it was some shit kid from Portugal and I was genuinely distraught.
 

Chip

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Not because it was Carrick but because he was our only signing that summer and it felt like it wasn't nearly enough... Carrick. How wrong we were.

Bebe, Owen, Ighalo, Maguire, Fellaini are all up there.
Yep, and what a run of seasons we had following that signing :drool:
 

Popovic

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If you factor in context / current circumstance, it has to be Fellaini. Will most likely be overtaken by Arnautovic and Rabiot if we get both deals over the line.
 

groovyalbert

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Sheringham was pretty underwhelming post Cantona. Yorke to a lesser extent following links to Batistuta.

Carrick was also criticised as a Keane replacement.

All were excellent pieces of business. I would argue we have a worse record recently with the prospect signings rather than the more surprising moves.
 

Skills

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Arnautovic would take the cake. Only second to the prospect of signing Ron fecking Vlaar. Anyone remember that summer?
 

el3mel

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There was a good deal of scepticism around Falcao’s fitness.

I don’t remember there being many Sanchez naysayers.
Falcao was an exciting signing back then especially since he was signed at the dying minutes of the window.
 

Chief123

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Who were the most disappointing signings at the time of signing? Not talking about whether they came good or went bad after being hyped at first - just speaking about players United signed that the fanbase in general looked at as a terrible signing at the time they were brought in.

I remember Dong being laughed out as a commercial signing, and Bebé was a big uncertainty. Not sure if I can recall a first team signing that came off that way though.

Owen, perhaps?
After a summer chasing Sancho, Cavani was a pretty disappointing outcome as well as Pellestri and Amad.

Cavani turned out ok in the end but there was an air of disappointment when we did get him.

Fellani - That was the start of the poor recruitment.
 

OverratedOpinion

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There was a good deal of scepticism around Falcao’s fitness.

I don’t remember there being many Sanchez naysayers.
Hmm,

I remember the general mood being one of excitement as we had got him on loan and weren't really relying on him too much as we had Rooney and Van Persie still.
 

P-Ro

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Wasn't Van Der Saar met with a lot of groans when he signed?
 

Crimson King

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Wasn't Van Der Saar met with a lot of groans when he signed?
I don't remember that, feel like most people felt quite confident about it. He'd done well at Fulham and we got him at a snip.
 

AdamColeBebe

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Got to wonder what the youth team thinks of our terrible business and overall situation. Like imagine saying to them "Riight guys we're going to watch the first team today, watch carefully and make mental notes. Learn how it's done"
 

Lay

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Good shout. I never wanted him. Thought he was just a workhorse.

Fellaini as many others have said. Obertan another because I believe even his manager at the time (Blanc?) was perplexed at the move.

Carrick, thought he was below the level we needed.

Ashley Young, never rated him and couldn’t understand why we signed him when we were told by SAF we need to make signings to compete with Barcelona
 

automaticflare

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Laurent Blanc for me
Mata also because he didn't fit in our system and wasn't what we needed


Most disappointed transfers out for me:
I remember being gutted when Hughes and Kanchelskis left.
Alos Ruud.