Manchester United: 3 Transfer Targets In Recent Memory Who Under-performed After Moving Elsewhere

Manchester United are without a doubt one of the biggest teams in the world. What has made the club great are the players who have given their all in the field of play to ensure success on all fronts. Also, the club is a global brand with huge financial capability to lure the very best players in the world.

It is the dream of many players to play professional football. When a team like United come calling, it is almost a sure thing that a player will not think twice about signing for them. The allure of playing for one of the greatest teams in the world and building onto an already solid legacy has been a huge motivation for some who walked that path.

However, when legendary Sir Alex Ferguson retired from management, he left a huge void. There was a wave of expectation that the next manager in line would ensure continuity of success. The Red Devils suffered greatly when Ferguson departed. This was clearly seen in the performance levels and the club's ability to attract top talent.

United had a tough spell trying to bring buy top players in the transfer market due to the wave of uncertainty over how the team would perform. There were even doubts in players' minds regarding United's chances of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.

Over the years, great players like Ronaldinho and Alan Shearer were all reported to have turned down moves to Old Trafford. That did little to alter the way their careers turned out. However, there are some players in the modern era heavily linked to United who fancied a move to other clubs. Shortly afterwards, their career either took a nosedive or they ultimately suffered a deep in form.

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#3 Serge Aurier (Spurs)

Aurier failed to command the right full-back position at Spurs

The Ivorian is one of the best African full-backs in world football. He combines raw power with speed and this makes him a well oiled attacking full back. In 2017, he was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford from PSG. He was seen as a likely successor to Antonio Valencia on the right side of the defence.

Aurier has not had the best of spells at Tottenham Hotspurs. He did not fully command that position and has had to face competition from Kieran Trippier for that starting berth. He made only 24 appearances in all competitions in his debut season.

In April 2018, he attracted criticism from various quarters such as Rio Ferdinand and Spurs' fans. There were calls for his transfer after Spurs' 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion. He made a clumsy challenge on Jose Izquidero to concede a penalty. Brighton eventually stole a point after the converting the spot kick.

#2 Alvaro Morata (Chelsea)

Morata was first approached by United before Chelsea signed him

The Spanish striker was subject of a nearly £60 million move to Chelsea in July 2017. Earlier, it was United who had a lot of interest in the player as they sought to look for a solution to their striking problems. Wayne Rooney was leaving the club and Zlatan Ibrahimovic was out injured. There was a lot of interest in Morata with the deal looking dead and buried.

However, United hijacked Chelsea's deal for Lukaku and subsequently, on July 19, 2017 Chelsea stepped in with Morata himself preferring that Stamford Bridge given his good relationship with Antonio Conte.

In September, he admitted to Sky Sports that he was swayed by the presence of Conte at the helm. This was the coach that helped him develop at Juventus.

For that amount of money, it was expected that Morata would be firing on all fronts. As Chelsea's no.9, he finished his debut season with only 15 goals in 48 goals. This was not a good return for what they expected of him and at some point, he even lost his place in the starting line up.

#1 Renato Sanches

Can Sanches revive a faltering career?

When Sanches was 18 years old, he was considered the hottest teenage prospect in world football at the time. So much so that United wanted to sign him before the start of the 2016 European Championship in France.

United indeed were poised to sign the player until Bayern Munich came into the picture and snapped him up for £30 million. Sanches also favoured Bayern boss Carlo Ancellotti and the prospect of playing alongside world class midfielders at the German champions. United on the other hand were going through a rough patch in their managerial crisis.

Sanches' career took an unexpected turn despite winning the Golden Boy in October 2016. He made only 26 appearances for Bayern across all competitions with zero goals. As there was little prospect of breaking into the highly competitive Bayern first team, he was loaned to Swansea City in 2017. Injury also affected Sanches as he made only 15 appearances for the Premier League club.