5 players signed by Mourinho who have failed to step up at Manchester United

Manchester United found themselves in previously uncharted waters following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, as the club which had been so used to winning all the major trophies on offer for so long now found itself struggling to win matches against much inferior opponents which would have been unthought-of under the legendary Scotsman.

David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal both came in and went out rapidly, as neither man could inspire the club near the previous heights, and to steady the ship, the board turned to a former public enemy number one – Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ had been a thorn in the flesh of United faithful right from when he slid across the Old Trafford turf as an unknown coaching upstart when he led Porto. His side went on to eliminate Manchester United en-route their unlikely UCL triumph in 2004 right to his two spells as Chelsea boss where he led the London club to knock United from their perch atop the English game.

Everything about Mourinho goes against the ethos at United, from his style of play to uncouth conduct, and many believed it was counter-productive to go for him. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, and United were very much desperate seeing how far they had fallen behind their rivals and especially since Manchester City had appointed Pep Guardiola to the dugout over at the Etihad.

Mou has earned a reputation of being a heavy spender, and in his two year spell in charge of The Red Devils, he has spent a total of £370m on new acquisitions. But while a few of the 11 players he has brought in to Old Trafford such as Romelu Lukau and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have performed creditably well, the bulk of the rest have struggled to match expectations. In this piece, we take a look at five players who failed to step up to the level expected upon arriving Manchester United.

#5 Paul Pogba

Pogba has not had consistency since arriving Manchester United

Paul Labile Pogba was once a part of the Manchester United youth team set-up but found chances to play at a premium and rarely got playing time. As a result, he was transferred to Juventus on a free in the summer of 2012.

The then 19-year-old was highly rated, and the Juventus players could not believe their luck at getting such a gem at a cut-price fee. With the Serie A giants, Pogba went on to become a bonafide superstar, winning the next four Scudetti consecutively, as well as being named the best young player at the 2014 World Cup and making it into the FIFPro XI in 2015 for his efforts in leading Juventus to the UCL final.

It came as not much of a surprise when United splashed out a then world record fee of £89m to get his services from Juventus, and on arriving Old Trafford, Pogba stated that he had unfinished business at the club, with it believed that he would be the man to usher in a new period of glory to the red part of Manchester.

However, the Frenchman struggled for form and consistency in his debut season back, and this translated onto the international scene where he was removed from the starting lineup for some of his country’s matches at EURO 2016.

There have been glimpses of his talents, and on his day, Paul Pogba can almost single-handedly decide the outcome of matches, putting his brute strength, passing range and ball-carrying abilities to good use (evidenced by his brace in the comeback victory over Man City last season at The Etihad).

However, they have not been as frequent as would be expected from a man who many consider to be one of the most influential figures in the dressing room.

Criticisms over his lifestyle choices have been rampant, while there was also furore over his very public and long-running spat with Jose Mourinho, with the issue of creating divides in the dressing room.

Two and half seasons on from his arrival, Pogba has yet to fully convince United fans on where stands at the club, with the issue being divided almost on an equal measure as to whether he is a genuine game changer playing under the wrong manager or just a prima donna incapable of leading a team when the chips are down.

Rumors have surfaced that Pogba could be on the move from United anytime from now, with Barcelona and Juventus among those said to be interested in his services, and if he eventually departs, he would not leave on the pedestal which was expected upon his widely celebrated arrival.

#4 Fred

Fred was a £52m signing from Shakhtar Donetsk

A veteran of many seasons with Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukrainian league, the 25-year-old Brazilian has caught the eye on many occasions with his exploits for The Miners, and a lot was expected when Manchester United beat heated rivals Manchester City to his signature.

At £52m, the Brazilian international represents a huge outlay (even by today’s extremely inflated markets), and it was believed that he would offer a different dynamism to the United midfield, combining his grit and industry with the flair and technique associated with almost all Brazilians (which has been sorely lacking at United in recent years).

Mourinho was highly delighted with Fred’s capture, stating that club without a Brazilian in it is not truly an elite club, and Fred impressed in his early warm-up games for The Red Devils, particularly in the defeat of Champions League holders Real Madrid in the ICC where he ran the midfield and linked up well with the attack to keep Real Madrid pegged back.

He started in United’s opening day victory over Leicester in the Premier League but showed signs of rustiness with poor first touches and sloppy mistakes which were pegged down to nervousness.

Four months later, and it has gone worse for Fred, as he has started just five more Premier League matches (from 11), while only making a solitary 69 minute appearance in the UCL against Young Boys out of four matches United have disputed in that competition, this comes in sharp contrast to Riyad Mahrez at City or Jorginho at Chelsea who have slotted in seamlessly at their new clubs as though they have been there for ages.

Pogba got injured and was ruled out against Manchester City, but rather than field Fred, Jose turned to the much-maligned Fellaini, and this must have been a jarring blow to the confidence of the Brazilian.

Even though there is still more than enough time to turn his fortunes at the club around and improve his standing, so far, it has not quite panned out the way Fred expected upon arriving Old Trafford.

#3 Eric Bailly

Eric Bailly in action in the Carabao Cup

Jose Mourinho’s very first signing as Manchester United manager - Eric Bailly was bought from Villareal for £30 m after some solid performances in his single season with The Yellow Submarines in La Liga.

Strong, a no-nonsense defender and willing to put his body on the line, Bailly was seen as the archetypical Mourinho defender, and it was not surprising that he quickly established himself as the undisputed first-choice centre-back in his debut season, making 25 Premier League appearances, as well as 11 in the Europa League as United, triumphed in Europe’s second-tier club competition and Bailly was named into the team of the tournament.

A serious injury suffered in his second season curtailed his progress, limiting him to just 18 appearances in all competitions as United finished the campaign in second place and suffered a round of 16 loss to Sevilla in the Champions League.

So far this season, he has also struggled for the game time despite being fit, with reports emanating that he has fallen out with Jose Mourinho after dropping him for his horrendous performances in the losses to Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton in the Premier League.

There are speculations that Bailly could leave the club in January, and if the Ivorian international departs, it would have been a disappointing end to a United career which promised so much more upon inception.

#2 Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Mkhitaryan is a forgotten Manchester United player

After making a name for himself first in Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk (where he was named the Ukrainian footballer of the year), and in Germany with Borussia Dortmund (where he established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world and was a regular in number of chances and assists created), Manchester United paid Dortmund £30m for Mkhi’s services to make him the first Armenian to ever play in the Premier League.

It was a mismatch from the get-go, as, despite high expectations, Mhkitaryan struggled to light up Old Trafford, and fell out with Jose Mourinho over the Portuguese’ decision to constantly play him out of position.

Although he starred in United’s Europa League winning campaign, Mhki’s spell at Old Trafford was largely disappointing, and it came as no surprise when he departed the club in winter of 2017 in a straight swap with Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal after less than 18 months at United.

He ended his United career with just five goals in 39 Premier League appearances, which is a far cry from the form he expressed when terrorizing defences across Europe with Dortmund.

#1 Alexis Sanchez

Sanchez has been a flop so far for Manchester United

From PFA Player of the Year contender and undoubted world-class performer at Arsenal to a highly paid flop and subject of social media memes at United, where has it all gone wrong for Alexis Sanchez?

Sanchez truly exploded upon his arrival at Arsenal after two lukewarm seasons with Barcelona, and at The Emirates, the Chilean morphed into one of the most lethal forwards in all of Europe, gaining widespread praise for his performances in almost single-handedly dragging Arsenal by on his back.

Sanchez deserved much better than contesting for a top-four finish, and he voiced as much on a number of occasions, with fans believing that his talents were more befitting a club contesting for major honours including the league and Champions League titles.

It was therefore not surprising when Manchester City sought his services in the summer of 2017, with a deal all but set to be wrapped up but for the fact that Arsenal could not make provisions for his replacement (Thomas Lemar).

Despite the deal collapsing, City returned with another offer in December but had competitors this time in the form of their city rivals Manchester United, which was a testament to how highly valued he was at Arsenal.

In what was one of the more protracted transfer deals of the winter, Sanchez finally signed for Manchester United on deadline day in January, and he was unveiled in a highly publicized piano campaign which brought as much praise as ridicule.

Since then, the 29-year-old has struggled for form badly and has been widely criticized for his lethargic performances for United, especially coming as he is currently the highest paid player in Premier League history (with reports indicating he currently earns about £400,00/week).

So far, Sanchez has scored just three goals in 21 Premier League appearances for Manchester United (at a rate of one goal in over seven matches), with just one in twelve matches this season, which is a far cry from the 60 he scored in 122 PL appearances (about one in every two matches) for Arsenal.

Manchester United fans expected so much upon Sanchez’ arrival, but so far, he has failed to match those expectations, and with the club struggling for form, it is imperative that he steps up to the plate.