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Manchester United are one of the most renowned clubs in the world of football. The Red Devils have a rich history and are known to be one of the most commercially strongest clubs.
That being said, Manchester United have been robbed of their financial strength at times. The English club have been bullied into a lot of transfer deals, especially after the retirement of the great Sir Alex Ferguson.
Clubs have made good money when dealing with Manchester United
Over time, the money involved in football has only increased and so has the benchmark for transfer deals. Manchester United, despite having such a high stature, have struggled to negotiate with teams and have ended up paying a lot more in the market.
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There have been incidents when a player could have been easily signed for a reasonable price but the Premier League giants failed to do so. On that note, let's take a look at five times Manchester United ended up paying way more money for a player.
Note: All transfer fees are as mentioned on transfermarkt
#5 Fred (Transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk)
Having come through the ranks at Internacional, Fred joined Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013. Following his impressive display in midfield, the Brazilian caught the eye of Manchester United.
The three-time Ukrainian Premier League winner was bought by the Red Devils to strengthen their midfield. With his defensive abilities and intense work-rate, Fred was expected to give the backline a cushion. He was signed by Manchester United for a fee of £53.10 million, which is quite expensive given the player was not coming from one of the stronger leagues.
It is safe to say that to date, the Brazilian midfielder has struggled to serve United's goal. His partnership with Scott McTominay has proved to be useful at times, but the inability to be incisive and tactful in attack has backfired for the 28-year old.
#4 Anthony Martial (Transfer from AS Monaco)
The Frenchman started his career with AS Monaco in Ligue 1. Anthony Martial made a name for himself with the French club showcasing his talents on the wings with his nimble footwork and amazing dribbling skills.
He was signed by Manchester United in 2015 for a fee of £54 million. Martial had many suitors and given United's intent, they were pushed by Monaco to pay a handsome price.
The French forward has now played more than six seasons with the 20-time Premier League Champions. He has had a decent spell but has massively struggled with consistency. Martial has lost his confidence time and again and that has reflected in his overall output at Old Trafford.
#3 Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku once led the attacking line for Manchester United in the Premier League. He is well versed with the league, having played for a number of English clubs over the years.
Lukaku left Chelsea in 2012 after not getting enough first-team chances with the Blues. Following a couple of loan moves, the former Anderlecht striker joined Everton on a permanent basis. With the Merseyside club, Lukaku established himself as an impressive goal-scorer in the Premier League.
This encouraged Manchester United to sign him in the summer of 2017 for a fee of £76.23 million. Despite Lukaku's stunning capabilities in front of goal, it was quite a hefty price to pay. The left-footed attacker signed for Inter Milan after just two seasons with the Red Devils as his relationship with the club took a dip.
Manchester United were strongly pushed to pay more to outbid their competitors in signing Lukaku from Everton. The deal certainly didn't feel as fruitful for United, who hardly won anything with the Belgian in the team.
Lukaku is currently back in the Premier League after returning to Chelsea on a club-record transfer this summer.
#2 Angel Di Maria
The Argentine attacker was a monster of a player at Real Madrid. With Di Maria's amazing footwork, superb passing and dashing creative abilities, he was almost impossible to stop when on song with Los Blancos.
At the time it came as a surprise when the former Benfica forward was linked with a move away from Madrid. Under the management of Louis van Gaal, Manchester United signed Di Maria in 2014. The Argentine playmaker was touted to achieve big things in England given his scintillating talent.
Di Maria was signed for £67.50 million, which was then a British record deal. It was certainly more money than many had expected the ideal fee to be. What was even more disheartening was that the former Madrid winger left Manchester United after a single season. He failed to get on the same page as the manager and subsequently struggled to hit the ground running.
#1 Paul Pogba
The Frenchman is one of the most talented midfielders in the world. Paul Pogba came through the ranks at Manchester United and was expected to be the next big thing at the club.
Unfortunately, the then United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Pogba had different perspectives because of which the Frenchman left as a free agent for Juventus. With the Old Lady, the 2018 World Cup winner grew into one of the finest midfielders in the world. He has always been good with his creative abilities and is a smart attacking midfielder to have in your team.
In the summer of 2016, a lot of clubs showed interest in signing the 2013 Golden Boy award winner. With a number of clubs in the race, the price escalated and in the end it was Manchester United who were able to sign the French midfielder. Pogba's return to Old Trafford cost a fee of around £94.50 million, a then-world record transfer.
There is no denying that the dynamic midfielder has a lot to offer on the pitch but the transfer fee paid United for him was just way too crazy. In hindsight, given the fact that Manchester United could have stopped Pogba from joining Juventus, any amount of money spent on the transfer was going to look insane.
