Manchester United’s lack of success on the field over the last decade is somewhat understandable, given the chaos behind the scenes.
However, that could all be set to change with the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who wants to return the Red Devils to their glory days.
Operations are already underway, but it will be at the end of the season when large decisions are acted on, whether in the transfer market or with the current crop.
But one aspect that must be improved upon instantly is United’s transfer strategy, which has seen them overpay for talent, with one player in particular standing out in recent years.
What Man United paid for Jadon Sancho
In the summer of 2021, Man United finally acquired their main target in Jadon Sancho, who had been previously tearing up Europe with Borussia Dortmund.
During his final season in Germany, the English winger scored 16 goals and provided 20 assists in 38 games across all competitions, making him one of the deadliest forwards around.
With Sancho in red-hot form at the time, then-United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer forked out £73m to purchase the attacker, but in his first season, the former Manchester City star only scored three goals and collected three assists in the league.
The struggle to adapt wasn’t helped by the lack of managerial stability during his first campaign, but even with the arrival of Erik ten Hag, Sancho failed to live up to his true potential, scoring six and assisting three in the Premier League in 2022/23.
Man Utd may already have a bigger prospect than Amad in “enormous talent”
The youngster has been on fire for the U21’s.
ByTom Lever Sancho’s value in 2024
After a rather promising pre-season, Sancho was supposed to push on and finally show the United faithful what he’s all about, however, that’s certainly not been the case.
The 23-year-old played in the first three games of the campaign, but he showed “no desire,” as per journalist Liam Canning.
His lack of quality on the field and on the training pitch saw Ten Hag drop Sancho from the squad against Arsenal earlier this season, with the attacker's response on social media causing him to be banned from all first-team facilities by the boss.
In January, the number 25 rejoined former club Dortmund on loan from the Red Devils until the end of the campaign, but he is still struggling to regain form, failing to score in seven matches since returning, and as a result of this, his value has significantly dropped.
Antony
£30m
Casemiro
£26m
Sofyan Amrabat
£24m
Scott McTominay
£24m
Sancho
£21m
As can be seen in the table above, Sancho’s estimated worth has decreased by over £50m, which is a fair reflection of what he’s shown on the field. He’s now valued even lower than Scott McTominay, Sofyan Amrabat, Casemiro, and Antony, who are all not guaranteed starters at the club.
That lower value than Antony is a real sign of his decline, with the Brazilian hardly thriving himself of late after failing to score or assist in the Premier League this season.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
Overall, it’s clear that the signing of Sancho has been an absolute disaster for the Red Devils, and it will be looked back on as an example of what to avoid in the future.
