Manchester United is a club that has ingrained its name among the European elite. They are arguably the greatest club in England to play in the modern era. Much of the success that Manchester United have enjoyed has stemmed from a near-complete dominance of their domestic competition: the Premier League.
Under their legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United have lifted the elite Premier League title 13 times. Moreover, United are the only club to have completed a Premier League hat-trick twice - once during the famous 1998-99-00 era and then during the 2006-07-08 period.
It is a record in and of itself, not matched by any other club, and that makes Manchester United the definition of an elite club.
However, since the retirement of their esteemed manager in 2013, The Red Devils have found domestic glory hard to come by under several different leaderships.
With United having spent over £1bn on transfers since 2013, there have been world-class talents at the club who have joined and left since. Yet the Premier League title still eludes them.
The Premier League title eluded these top players while they were at Manchester United
#5 Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku was signed in the summer of 2017 to lead the line for Jose Mourinho's Red Devils. After much anticipation, his signing was revealed in a video where he linked up with current Manchester United player Paul Pogba. It was a genius marketing tactic by the club to generate attention worldwide.
Lukaku was truly a Mourinho signing, picked to lead the line with his physicality and goalscoring instinct. Manchester United finished runners-up in the Premier League in the 2017-18 season. He scored a total of sixteen goals in the league.
In 2019, Lukaku finally left the club to seal a move to Inter Milan. It was only after Ole Gunnar Solskjær's reign began that Lukaku was no longer viewed as a first-choice striker at the club.
#4 Angel Di Maria
Angel Di Maria had just lifted the Champions League trophy with Real Madrid in 2014. He was signed up by Manchester United in the same summer for what was then a British transfer record of £67.5m.
Signed to become their new iconic winger and take on the glorious no. 7 jersey, Angel Di Maria's time at Manchester United can be best described as a disappointment. Under former manager Louis Van Gaal, Di Maria struggled to perform for United. He was also often played out of position.
After just one troublesome year in England, he decided to cut his time short and move to PSG and end his stay at Manchester United. During his year in England, he scored three goals and got 10 assists as United finished fourth in the Premier League.
#3 Memphis Depay
Memphis Depay was another signing from the Van Gaal era at Manchester United. He was signed as the poster boy for United's iconic No. 7 role for £25 million from Eredevisie side PSV.
Young, explosive and a world-class talent - these were just some of the qualities that United paid top dollar for to prize him away in competition with PSG.
Depay ultimately left United in 2017 to join French club Lyon to end an underwhelming stay at Old Trafford. He scored only two goals in the Premier League and helped United finish fifth.
#2 Alexis Sanchez
Alexis Sanchez signed for Manchester United in 2018 in a swap deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan go the other direction.
The signing could be best described as one of the most ignominious transfers in United's history. It was a deal which saw him become the highest earner in the Premier League, with him earning £350,000-per-week.
For that price, Sanchez only scored three goals and delivered three assists in the Premier League. In 2019, he was offloaded by Manchester United to Italian club Inter Milan on a loan deal.
Manchester United could only manage a sixth position finish in the 2018-19 season.
#1 Zlatan Ibrahimović
Zlatan Ibrahimović is one of the greatest names to have joined the Red Devils in the modern era. He signed on a free transfer from PSG in the summer of 2016.
His time in England was a remarkable success for the output he produced for Jose Mourinho's side. He scored 17 goals and racked up five assists for the Red Devils in his first season at the club.
He powered Manchester United to the 2016/17 Europa League title and the English League Cup where he scored a brace of goals in the final.
Although he did not win the Premier League, Zlatan's time at Manchester United will be remembered as one of the most memorable signings for the club.