For each of the last four summers, Manchester United have invested large amounts of money in a well-renowned forward from a European league, only to watch them struggle to adapt to the Premier League.
Jadon Sancho was a scoring and assisting machine for Borussia Dortmund, and his 120 goal involvements in 158 games seemed to justify his £74 million ($101m) price tag when United signed him in 2021. And yet in his two seasons at Old Trafford he scored just 12 goals and set up six before being banished from the squad for lashing out at Erik ten Hag on social media. Sancho showed signs of his Bundesliga self when returning to Dortmund on loan, but a further spell at Chelsea back in the Premier League was so unsatisfactory that the Blues preferred to pay a £5m penalty clause than sign him permanently.
Antony was regarded as one of the best young forwards in Europe in 2022, posting 0.56 goals or assists per game with Ajax, and Barcelona considered him their main alternative to signing Raphinha. United paid £85m ($99m) to sign the Brazilian, but after a blistering start of three goals in his first three games, he went on to score only nine in his next 93.
It wasn't just his lack of productivity that meant Antony went down as a failed transfer, either. He did next to nothing in games beyond cutting inside on to his left foot and either missing the target or being swiftly dispossessed, yet once he joined Real Betis on loan, he became an icon in Seville as he scored as many goals in half a season in La Liga as he had in two-and-a-half in England.
The same pattern was repeated with Rasmus Hojlund in 2023 and Joshua Zirkzee in 2024. The strikers had scored a combined 20 goals in their final seasons in Serie A, but last season with United netted a combined seven league goals. But by finally signing Bryan Mbeumo after a long transfer saga, United have shown they are finally learning from their mistakes. There is just one problem with the deal: the price.
