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Manchester United were reduced to a laughing stock under Erik ten Hag’s stewardship. The former Ajax boss is responsible for both of the Red Devils’ worst starts to a Premier League season, and their worst-ever finish, with FA Cup and Carabao Cup success doing little to paper over the cracks.
Ten Hag inherited a poor squad when he arrived at Old Trafford in May 2022, but has been trusted with a £616 million ($807m) war chest to rebuild it in his own image. Almost two-and-a-half years and 20 signings later, United have reached the lowest point of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era – which is really saying something.
So much money has been wasted while Ten Hag has insisted on targeting players he’s worked with in the past, which proved to be a deeply flawed approach as many of them have struggled to cope with the intensity of Premier League football and pressure that comes with playing for one of the world’s biggest clubs.
GOAL has ranked all of Ten Hag’s signings at United, from best to worst, as the blundering Dutchman was finally relieved of his duties at Old Trafford on Monday…
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Getty Images Sport1Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich, £13m)
Mazraoui is a versatile defender who has slotted into the right-back slot in United’s starting XI seamlessly since his summer switch from Bayern. There’s little doubt that the Moroccan has been an upgrade on Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who never had the technical skills needed to succeed at Old Trafford.
At the bargain price of £13m, Mazraoui must go down as the shrewdest piece of business Ten Hag conducted in his time at the club. That being said, he has gone from being a utility player at Bayern to one of the first names on the teamsheet at United, which tells you everything about the gulf in quality between the two clubs right now.
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Getty2Jonny Evans (free)
Evans had every right to feel hard done by when United sold him to West Brom in 2015. At 27, he was in his prime and still had plenty to offer. But bringing the academy graduate back to the club eight years later made absolutely no sense.
Ten Hag stressed that Evans’ experience would be invaluable to the younger players in his squad, and he’s certainly been a good role model in that regard. Evans has also rolled back the years to deliver consistently solid performances at the back, including a Man-of-the-Match-worthy turn in a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa that essentially delayed Ten Hag’s sacking for a few more weeks.
However, a 36-year-old centre-back who is way past his best physically shouldn’t be starting regularly for a top club. Evans may not have cost United anything, but he was never the right fit for a high backline in a team supposedly set up to press relentlessly from the first minute to the last.
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Getty3Altay Bayindir (Fenerbahce, £4m)
United needed another back-up goalkeeper after Dean Henderson’s permanent move to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2023, and Bayindir seemed to be the ideal fit. The Turkey international arrived with genuine pedigree, too, having served as Fenerbahce’s No.1 for the previous four years.
Bayindir might be regretting that decision now, though, especially given the erratic performances of first-choice ‘keeper Andre Onana. The 26-year-old has a 100 percent winning record at United, but he’s only played twice, in an FA Cup fourth-round win at Newport and a 7-0 victory over Barnsley in the third round of the Carabao Cup.
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Getty4Leny Yoro (Lille, £52m)
United pulled off a considerable coup by beating Real Madrid to the capture of Yoro, who enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at Lille in 2023-24. The 18-year-old justified the hype on his debut, too, putting in an outstanding shift in a 2-0 pre-season win over Rangers.
Unfortunately, disaster struck in his second outing against Arsenal, as he was forced off after just 35 minutes. Yoro was subsequently diagnosed with a serious foot injury and underwent surgery, which left him facing three months on the sidelines.
The talented teenage defender may end up being a superb signing in the long-term, but there is also a chance his development will stall after such a damaging fitness blow. Questions have rightly been asked over whether United should have eased Yoro into the fold more gradually.
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Getty5Tyrell Malacia (Feyenoord, £13m)
Malacia’s first year at United was very encouraging, as he provided genuine competition for Luke Shaw in the coveted left-back slot. It was a surprise to see such a young player make the transition from the Eredivisie to the Premier League look so easy as Malacia racked up 39 appearances across all competitions.
The last of those came in a 2-1 home win against Fulham in May 2023. Incredibly, Malacia has not seen a single minute of action since. The pace of English football obviously took a toll on the Netherlands international, who has endured a frustrating road to recovery since undergoing knee surgery last summer.
Ten Hag has yet to even call Malacia back to the substitutes’ bench, meaning the 25-year-old has gone from being an exciting prospect to damaged goods, and it remains to be seen if he can get his United career back on track as he approaches the final year of his contract.
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(C)Getty Images6Marcel Sabitzer (Bayern Munich, loan)
United went into panic mode after losing Christian Eriksen to an ankle injury in January 2023, and scoured the loan market for a short-term replacement. Sabitzer was the man eventually brought in to cover for the Dane, after falling down the pecking order at Bayern, and he did a decent job across his 18 games in the famous red shirt.
The Austrian midfielder also weighed in with three goals, including two in United’s Europa League quarter-final tie against Sevilla. But once Eriksen returned, Sabitzer was deemed surplus to requirements, and it was no surprise when United decided against signing him outright at the end of the campaign.
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Getty7Lisandro Martinez (Ajax, £48m)
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher famously claimed that Martinez was “too small” to play in the Premier League after he followed Ten Hag to United from Ajax in 2022. It’s fair to say that the 5’9 centre-half made Carragher eat his words in his debut season, leading by example for United with his ferocious competitive spirit and composure on the ball.
Martinez was, however, only able to appear in 14 games across the 2023-24 campaign due to injuries. Those fitness struggles have continued this term, and when the Argentine has been available, he’s looked very rusty. At his best, Martinez is a major asset for United, but the World Cup winner desperately needs to rediscover his rhythm.
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Getty Images8Joshua Zirkzee (Bologna, £36m)
Zirkzee has come in for a lot of criticism after scoring just one goal in his first 13 games for United, most of which has been unfair. The Bayern academy graduate was profiled as a No.9 by many fans after his summer move from Bologna, but he’s not a natural goal-scorer, and doesn’t play on the shoulder of the last defender.
Ten Hag signed Zirkzee to compliment Rasmus Hojlund, not compete with him. The 23-year-old is an accomplished dribbler who likes to drop deep and link the play, boasting impressive physical attributes and vision that make him difficult to pin down. That desire to get on the ball is also the reason for Zirkzee’s main weakness, though: he’s spending too much time away from the penalty area.
The Netherlands forward has shown glimpses of real class, but has yet to add a new dimension to United’s attack. That’s partly because of a lack of quality around him, but the jury is very much out on whether Zirkzee’s game is the right fit for the quick transitions that have become a staple in the Premier League.
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Getty Images Sport9Jack Butland (Crystal Palace, loan)
Butland was brought in to deputise for David de Gea between the sticks in January 2023, after Newcastle loanee Martin Dubravka’s return to St James’ Park. The England international supported the Red Devils as a boy and described the switch as a “fairy tale”, but he never got the chance to fulfil his dreams at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag persisted with De Gea in the No.1 jersey – despite the Spaniard being guilty of several high-profile mistakes – for the entire second half of the 2023-24 campaign, leaving Butland out in the cold. After 20 games on the bench, Butland was promptly returned to Crystal Palace, probably wondering why United even bothered to pursue him in the first place.
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Getty Images Sport10Christian Eriksen (free)
United signed Eriksen on the back of his short but hugely impactful spell at Brentford, who gave the Danish playmaker the platform to rebuild his career after his horror collapse at Euro 2020. The former Tottenham and Inter playmaker was able to return to the pitch after being fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), and quickly showed he could still mix it at the highest level after joining United.
Eriksen couldn’t sustain that form, though. He hasn’t been the same player since recovering from the injury that disrupted his first year at Old Trafford, with opponents often able to exploit his lack of pace in the middle of the park. Still, the 32-year-old must go down as one of Ten Hag’s best additions, and he has enjoyed a surprise resurgence at the start of the 2024-25 campaign.
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Getty11Manuel Ugarte (PSG, £51m)
United lost 19 games in all competitions last term, their worst record since 1977-78, largely because their midfield was almost non-existent. To fix that glaring weakness, Ten Hag forked out £51m ($67m) on Ugarte, with Paris Saint-Germain happy to let the Uruguayan go after just one year on their books.
It quickly become clear why PSG made that decision. It’s harsh to judge Ugarte after just seven appearances for United, but he does not look close to being the transformational signing Ten Hag so desperately needed.
Ugarte was particularly poor in the Red Devils’ chastening 3-0 home defeat against Tottenham, which saw the visitors post an xG (expected goals) total of 5.33 as they dominated the midfield battle. Ten Hag’s system was mostly to blame for United’s continued failings, but Ugarte has a long way to go in order to prove he was worth such a hefty investment.
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Getty12Sergio Reguilon (Tottenham, loan)
United’s 2023 summer deadline-day swoop for Reguilon was a logical move at a time when both Shaw and Malacia were unavailable for selection. But the Tottenham defender couldn’t stay fit himself, starting just four Premier League games for the Red Devils before seeing his loan deal terminated six months early.
Reguilon didn’t contribute a single goal or assist in his short time at Old Trafford, which was a big disappointment considering his reputation as a forward-thinking full-back with a knack for getting to the by-line to deliver crosses. The Spaniard wasn’t terrible defensively, but United couldn’t rely on him, and already had too many players falling into that bracket.
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Getty Images13Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina, loan)
United had to pay almost £10m to bring in Amrabat on loan from Fiorentina, which always felt like too much for a player who had not done enough to build on his star turn for Morocco at the 2022 World Cup. But Ten Hag had previously worked with Amrabat at Utrecht and he was adamant that the “dynamic” midfielder would be the perfect foil for Casemiro.
Amrabat had his moments, most notably in United’s shock FA Cup final win over Manchester City, but didn’t ever look settled at Old Trafford. It certainly didn’t help that Ten Hag asked him to play in several different positions, but Amrabat couldn’t cope with the speed of Premier League football and his frequent misplaced passes often put United on the backfoot.
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Getty14Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich, £38m)
Ten Hag oversaw De Ligt’s emergence as one of the most promising young defenders on the continent during their time together at Ajax, which ended when the Dutch defender joined Juventus for £68m ($89m) in July 2019. De Ligt would go on to win a Serie A title with the Bianconeri, but largely flattered to deceive, and it was a similar story for him after he left for Bayern.
De Ligt was very fortunate to get a third chance at one of Europe’s elite clubs in the summer, as United identified him as the ideal man to partner Martinez at the back. Of course, it hasn’t turned out that way. Harry Maguire and Evans got the nod at the back for the crucial Villa game, and the Red Devils looked far more solid with that veteran duo, which doesn’t reflect well on De Ligt.
The 25-year-old, who can’t even get in the Netherlands team these days, has looked painfully slow off the ball and worryingly uncomfortable on it in his early weeks in Manchester. It’s too soon to write De Ligt off completely, but United didn’t need to take such a big gamble on a player who is clearly never going to fulfil his early career potential.
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Getty/GOAL15Rasmus Hojlund (Atalanta, £75m)
It has been widely reported that United didn’t follow up on their interest in Harry Kane in 2023 because they deemed Tottenham’s £100m ($131m) valuation of the 30-year-old too steep. So instead of going all out for one of the finest strikers in Premier League history, who guarantees at least 20 goals per season, Ten Hag was allowed to splash just £25m ($33m) less on unproven Danish prospect Hojlund.
The former Atalanta ace hit just nine Serie A goals in his solitary campaign with the Italian club, yet he was trusted to be United’s new leading man. Hojlund did find the net 16 times for United in 2023-24, and became the youngest player to ever score in six successive Premier League games, but for the most part, he has cut a frustrated figure up top.
Hojlund has been starved of decent service, but his finishing has fallen well short of what you would expect from a £75m player and his body has not held up to the demands of Premier League football. The Denmark international doesn’t take enough shots when he gets into good positions either, and will have to develop a ruthless streak if he is to convince the doubters he can be United’s main source of goals for the foreseeable future.
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Getty Images16Casemiro (Real Madrid, £70m)
Casemiro was the driving force behind United’s run to a third-place Premier League finish and Carabao Cup glory in 2022-23, and earned plenty of plaudits for his all-action displays, including from Gary Neville, who described the Real Madrid legend’s impact at Old Trafford as “devastating”. However, the United legend’s assessment came with a caveat, as he told The Overlap: “A £20m-a-year [contract] for five years is a £170m investment. That is a massive investment. It’s not a smart signing when you look at it from a big picture point of view.”
There was a reason Madrid let Casemiro join a direct European rival. He’d been showing signs of decline at Santiago Bernabeu, and the Spanish giants jumped at the chance to freshen up their midfield when United came calling. Casemiro’s winning mentality lifted the Red Devils briefly, but Neville has been ultimately been proven right.
The Brazilian has gradually crumbled physically over the last 15 months, to the point where he is now a shadow of the destroyer he was at his peak with Los Blancos. United are stuck with Casemiro until 2026 knowing full well he has become a liability, and Ten Hag is to blame for tarnishing the reputation of a once-great midfielder because he couldn’t see the “big picture”.
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Getty17Andre Onana (Inter, £48m)
De Gea overstayed his welcome at Old Trafford. He didn’t do enough to improve his ability with the ball at his feet, which prevented United from playing out from the back effectively. Onana was signed to fix that, after playing a key role in Inter’s unlikely run to the Champions League final.
Onana also did the job of kick-starting attacks for Ten Hag at Ajax, and their reunion was seen as a significant step forward for United. But he could scarcely have endured a more turbulent start to Old Trafford career.
The Cameroon goalkeeper is still demanding the ball constantly and aiming for incisive passes to beat the opposition press, but his execution has not been nearly as polished as it was at Inter. He doesn’t command his box either, staying way too close to his goal-line when facing set-pieces and in one-on-one situations.
United look shakier than ever with Onana serving as their last line of defence. He makes just as many basic handling errors as De Gea did, too, which is another damning indictment of Ten Hag’s judgement.
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Getty Images18Wout Weghorst (Burnley, loan)
How do you replace Cristiano Ronaldo? That was the question facing Ten Hag after an explosive saga that led to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s contract being terminated by mutual consent in November 2022. There weren’t many options in the winter transfer window, and in an act of sheer desperation, United turned to Weghorst to fill the CR7 void.
Weghorst was enjoying a purple patch on loan at Besiktas at the time, but only scored two Premier League goals with Burnley as they suffered relegation the season prior. He matched that dismal tally in his 31 appearances for United, though neither of those efforts came in the top-flight, despite Ten Hag including him in the starting XI almost every week.
There was no faulting Weghorst’s effort; he was a relentless presser and the fans took to him, but the former Wolfsburg man just wasn’t up to the required standard technically. Weghorst made no secret of his desire to earn a permanent contract, but United couldn’t justify the financial outlay on a centre-forward who was all huff but no puff.
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Getty19Mason Mount (Chelsea, £60m)
On July 6, 2023, United had their pants pulled down by Chelsea. The Blues squeezed a £60m ($79m) fee from one of their fiercest rivals in exchange for Mount, on the back of his worst campaign as a professional footballer.
Mount and United felt like an awkward match right from the start, with Ten Hag already well stocked for midfielders matching his profile. Inevitably, he failed to hit the ground running, before injuries completely derailed his debut campaign in Manchester.
The 2024-25 season has started in much the same vein for Mount, who has now missed more games than he’s played for the Red Devils. Every small step forward has been swiftly followed by two back; and when the England international has been on the pitch, he’s played within himself.
Time is running out for Mount to get his career back on track. If he doesn’t begin showing the form that made him a household name in his younger years at Chelsea, United will have no choice but to cut their losses on the 25-year-old.
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AFP20Antony (Ajax, £85m)
There was only one man worthy of filling the top spot on this list, despite the plethora of options to choose from in Ten Hag’s torrid transfer reel. Antony became United’s second-most expensive signing ever when he swapped the Johan Cruyff Arena for Old Trafford in August 2022, and the fourth-most expensive in Premier League history.
Just like Martinez, the Brazilian winger had been one of Ten Hag’s most valued lieutenants at Ajax. “He’s a fighter,” the Dutch coach told United’s official website when asked to explain what Antony will bring to the team. “He likes to dribble, he sees the final pass, he can score a goal and I think the fans will be excited by him and the way he plays his game.”
To say that Antony hasn’t lived up that billing would be the understatement of the century. There has been nothing exciting about watching him play for United. He’s only scored five Premier League goals alongside just three assists. He doesn’t have a right foot, or any pace to speak of.
There hasn’t been much evidence of Antony being a “fighter” either. His attitude stinks, especially for such a limited footballer, and off-field issues have also provided an unwanted distraction for United. Antony is not just the worst signing of Ten Hag’s tenure; he’s the biggest flop to ever walk through the hallowed halls of Old Trafford.
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