Top 5 transfers in Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure at Manchester United

Modified Apr 13, 2019 20:26 GMT

No one is bigger than the club, but for Manchester United fans Sir Alex Ferguson can come closest to being as big as the club. The Scottish manager came to United in 1986 when the club was in turmoil. The English giants had not won a league title for 19 years and they looked like a club which was relegated 12 years ago rather than one which won the title 19 years ago.

But as they say Sir Alex Ferguson came, he saw and he conquered. The legendary manager built a dynasty at the club. He won 38 trophies with the club including 13 league titles and two UCL titles. While he is famous for promoting the academy graduates he was also brilliant in the transfer market. He made some shrewd signings which took United to unprecedented heights.

Manchester United has a very important transfer window coming up. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's reign at United brilliantly, but they have lost four of the last five matches. This highlights the need for signings in the summer window to make the keep stronger. So let us look at the best five signings of the Sir Alex Ferguson’s era at Manchester United.

#5 Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney was a boy wonder. The English forward hit the headlines when he scored against Arsenal at the age of just 16. When United spent £25.6 million to sign Rooney from Everton few eyebrows were raised. The club broke the record for the highest fee paid for an under 20 players.

This huge transfer fee proved to be a bargain when Rooney showed his brilliance. The versatile forward won every possible trophy with the club except the European Super Cup. He is the highest scorer in the club’s history and deserves his place among best signings made by Sir Alex Ferguson.

#4 Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is regarded as one of the greatest goalscorers of all time. Manchester United paid an eye-watering sum of £12.24 million to bring 18-year old Portuguese to the club. He came to the club as a bright young prospect but he left as a legend.

Ronaldo was brilliant at the club winning nine trophies including three league title one Champions League title. He was incredible in the 2007/08 season when he scored 42 goals as United won the double. In 2008, he became only 4th United player in history to win the Ballon d’Or. He could have been higher on the list if he had stayed longer.

#3 Roy Keane

Manchester United spent a British record £3.75 million to sign Roy Keane from Forest. The former Republic of Ireland captain is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in EPL history. He led the team to a historic treble in 1999, as United became the first English club to win the treble.

The legendary midfielder won 17 of his 19 career trophies at Old Trafford. He was known for his aggressive nature and was 11th in the Times list of 50 hardest players of all time in 2007

#2 Peter Schmeichel

Peter Schmeichel is considered one of the greatest goalkeepers in football history. Manchester United had to spend £505,000 to sign him from Brondby. Sir Alex Ferguson described this deal as the deal of the century.

The Danish goalkeeper won IFFHS goalkeeper of the year in back to back years in 1992 and 1993. He was voted as the best goalkeeper of all time in a pool held by Reuters in 2001. He won 15 trophies at United including 5 EPL titles and one UCL title.

#1 Eric Cantona

Manchester United signed Eric Cantona from bitter rivals Leeds in 1992. When Cantona came to the club, Manchester United had not won a league title for 25 years. He made such a huge impact that the club won 4 league titles in five years.

Cantona missed eight months of the season when United failed to win the league title. The Frenchman scored 82 goals for the club, which earned him the nickname of “the king”. He helped the club in winning 9 trophies including four league titles.

Notable Mentions: Denis Irwin, Nemanja Vidic, Gary Pallister, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick

Edited by Emeka Monyei