5 players who disappointed for Manchester United this season

With Manchester United having endured one of the worst seasons in their illustrious history thus far, it, therefore, did not come as much of a surprise when the club parted ways with Jose Mourinho, with results and relationships with his players no longer tenable.

Records (of the unwanted variety) have been set almost on a weekly basis, as a club once revered for being the pacesetter in England, became a laughing stock and subject of numerous social media banter and jibes from rival fans.

The club made the right decision in letting Mourinho go as the 55-year-old had shown to become a bit tactically behind and could not come to grips with the intricacies of modern-day management.

However, the players also have to take a fair share of the blame as some of them were really poor in the past few months.

As we approach the midpoint of the season, we take a look at the five under-performing players for Manchester United this season.

#5 Fred

Having performed creditably well for Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukrainian League, Fred became a highly sought-after player, with Pep Guardiola earmarking him as a priority signing for Manchester City, as the Catalan saw him as a good fit for his City side.

The notoriously rigid Pep who rarely comes back for a player after being rebuffed kept coming back for Fred and reportedly asked the City board to do all they could to land the Brazilian.

Manchester United entered the fray for the 25-year-old and landed him in the summer with Mourinho stating that he was very pleased with Fred's arrival.

Since arriving Old Trafford however, Fred has looked a shadow of the player he was at Shakhtar, looking out of place and struggling to complete even the most basic of passes.

His drop in form saw him drop out of the starting eleven towards the end of Mourinho's reign, with him rarely completing 90 minutes on the rare occasions that he did start.

So far this season, Fred has made just 12 appearances in all competitions, scoring just one goal and this is a far cry from what was expected upon his arrival.

#4 Romelu Lukaku

The 25-year-old was the subject of a bidding war in the summer of 2017 between Chelsea and Manchester United, with the Red Devils eventually winning the race.

That deal made him the most expensive striker of all time in the history of the Premier League and he performed creditably well in his debut season at Old Trafford, scoring 27 goals in all competitions as United finished in second place in the Premier League but trophyless.

It has gotten worse for Romelu Lukaku this season, as he has struggled for form in front of goal. This season, Lukaku has scored just six goals in 22 matches across all competitions and these are poor numbers for a top striker.

Goals win matches and if United are to turn the tide in their woeful campaign till this point, then Belgium's record goalscorer must start to do what he was bought for - which is to put the ball in the back of the opposition net.

#3 Eric Bailly

The very first signing for Manchester United, Eric Bailly was brought in just weeks after the Portuguese manager arrived at the club, with Mou having been impressed with his performances in La Liga for Villarreal.

It all started well enough for the Ivorian international, as he put in solid performances in his opening matches for the club, leading to him being named as United's player of the month of August. He continued his spectacular displays and helped the Red Devils to the League Cup and Europa League in his debut season.

He suffered a horrific injury in his second season which consigned him to just 18 appearances in all competitions and it has gotten worse for him from then on.

In the current season, Bailly has made just seven EPL appearances and has come in for sharp criticism for his performances this season.

There were reports that Bailly was set to leave Manchester United, but with Solksjaer's appointment, he is sure to get a clean slate and the former Villarreal man had best make the most of the opportunity if not his Old Trafford adventure could well be over.

#2 Paul Pogba

Discarded by Manchester United as a prodigiously talented teenager in 2012, returning as the most expensive player of all time and one of the highest rated players in the world in 2016, the stage seemed set for Paul Pogba to complete one of the most dramatic stories in football history.

However, it has not panned out like that, as the 25-year-old has faced justified criticisms over his flamboyant life off the field and inconsistent displays on it.

On his day, Pogba is an extremely talented player, capable of deciding the outcome of a match on his own and he has shown glimpses of this but could follow that up with a totally shambolic performance the next week and rather appallingly to United fans, there have been more displays of the latter than the former.

Pogba had a long-standing and very public feud with Jose Mourinho, with the Portuguese stripping him off his captaincy and also calling him a host of bad names in public, leading to Pogba being dropped from the starting lineup towards the end of Jose's reign.

#1 Alexis Sanchez

Alexis has continued the recent tradition of number 7's flopping at Old Trafford

Two Manchester clubs slogged it out for his signature and there was much fanfare and celebration when the Chilean was finally unveiled as a United player.

However, since arriving at Old Trafford, Sanchez has not looked anywhere near remotely special. It has been a whirlwind year for Alexis Sanchez, going from one of the best players in the league at Arsenal to a very 'expensive' laughing stock and subject of social media banter at Manchester United.

He scored just three goals in 18 matches in his first United season. The fact that he did not have a pre-season with the club and did not blend in well was given as an excuse and indeed Sanchez was one of the earliest reporters to United's pre-season ahead of this campaign, but that has not done much to improve his standing.

So far this season, Sanchez has scored just one goal in 12 appearances in all competitions for Manchester United, looking devoid of ideas in a blunt United attack, offering nothing from an offensive standpoint and found himself out of the starting lineup before injury struck.

Edited by Sujith M