John Murtagh will step down as Manchester United’s Director of Football after three years. He left after spending around £518m on a pile of mediocrity. Red Devils fans will be hoping to see more from Dan Ashworth.
Murtaugh has made 20 signings during his tenure, and we ranked them as follows: His decision to “stand aside” From working for Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
20) Jadon Sancho (£76.5m)
Apparently Manchester United For Sancho, Sancho is the wrong club – Sancho is clearly a talented boy. The only time he will play for the Red Devils again is if Erik ten Hag leaves or hell freezes over.
19) Sofian Amrabat (loan fee of £8.5 million)
Manchester United were crying out for a new midfielder last summer and signed Amrabat on deadline day. He seems to be way off pace and is likely to go down as a terrible job with exorbitant loan fees.
18) Jack Butland (Loan)
He joined for the remainder of the season in January 2023 after Martin Dubravka’s loan ended, but more on that soon. Butland never made a single appearance for the club. The deal looks set to get even worse as the Englishman has shone for Rangers this season, making him a surprise candidate for Euro 2024.
17) Martin Dubravka (loan fee of £2m)
When Dubravka arrived from Newcastle United, many expected him to feature in the Europa League group stages, but he only made three cup appearances before his loan ended in January. Newcastle will face Loris Karius in the 2023 Carabao Cup final after a cup tie.
16) Tom Heaton (Free)
Heaton will be on a free transfer in 2021 for the first time since he achieved the job he so desperately coveted: third-choice keeper.
15) Altai Bindir (£4.2m)
Ten Hag actually paid this man money and did everything in his power to make sure he never had to take advantage of him. Even as Onana was heading to AFCON in agony, he did everything possible to avoid trusting the Turks. It’s very strange.
14) Sergio Reguilon (Free)
Shaw and Marascia were signed on loan from Spurs this season after it proved unreliable. Then Reguilon himself was injured, allowing Diogo Dalot to legitimately claim to have been United’s most consistent player this season on both sides of Ten Hag’s defence. It was returned to sender in January and was immediately packed and sent to Brentford.
13) Anthony (£80 million)
The spinning Brazilian cost far more than he was worth and had a very average debut season in England. This season wasn’t that good. But maybe, just maybe, there are signs of encouragement.
12) Mason Mount (£55.4)
The jury will likely decide on this issue for some time. Mount has been a divisive figure throughout his senior career, whether at Chelsea or England, so there is a lot of pressure on him to succeed.
Whatever your opinion about this man, it’s clear that he’s a manager’s dream and if he’s fit and available, he’ll make Manchester United’s midfield even more dynamic and energetic. However, it has not been enough so far.
11) Tyrell Malasia (£13m)
Malasia is a great player who signed for a very respectable fee. He immediately removed Luke Shaw from the starting XI and generously handed the spot back to the England squad.
We are now concerned about his whereabouts.
10) Wout Weghorst (loan fee of £2.6 million)
Weghorst was brought in to fill the void left at the end of last season and signed with the Peanuts. Still, it was a strange spell for everyone involved.
Read more: Sancho is a fiasco, Casemiro praises: Sir Alex ranks all 60 Manchester United players since he retired in 2013
9) Marcel Sabitzer (loan)
And as far as late-season emergency financing goes, this was a success. Ten Hag decided not to sign Sabitzer on a permanent contract last summer.
8) Raphael Varane (£36m)
Since his move to Manchester, Varane has not been able to convince everyone that he is, in fact, a four-time Champions League winner.
It’s a shame he’s made of glass because injuries haven’t helped and Varane is probably the Red Devils’ best defender when fully healthy.
7) Christian Eriksen (Free)
Many of us imagine Eriksen to be a bargain for the 22/23 season, and he had a pretty decent debut year. He has fallen in popularity under Ten Hag, and the fact that he costs Zilch favors him in this ranking.
6) Cristiano Ronaldo (£13.5m)
There’s not much that hasn’t already been said. £13.5m for the most marketable footballer on the planet isn’t so bad after all. Even if it ends up becoming the biggest circus in world football.
5) Casemiro (£61.5m)
After spending the entire 2022 summer transfer window chasing Frenkie de Jong, United realized that Casemiro was sitting right there and willing to break into midfield immediately.
The Brazilian was cleared of doubt after a successful debut season, but then suffered a leg injury. It’s like it just disappeared. I’m sure he’ll be sold this summer.
4) Andre Onana (£45.2m)
Upgrading David de Gea should have been Erik ten Hag’s top priority when he took over. It took him a year to realize it.
Onana’s debut season was full of ups and downs, with a disastrous defeat in the Champions League not helping. But there is no doubt about his ability. He has a solid record domestically.
3) Johnny Evans (free) (Nebraska)
When he first arrived, he was expected to play a similar role to Tom Huddlestone, but he has exceeded everyone’s expectations. It wasn’t amazing, but it wasn’t crap either. At 36 years old, he’s in great shape. His placement tells you everything you need to know about United’s recent transfer deals.
2) Lisandro Martinez (£50m) (5)
Martinez is a fantastic footballer who adapted quickly to Premier League life, despite being sacked before ever setting foot at Old Trafford. The World Cup-winning Argentina international had attracted interest from Arsenal before joining United, and it’s clear why. Stay healthy, FFS.
1) Rasmus Hoylund (64.7 million pounds) (Nebraska)
There were high hopes for Hoylund to succeed at Old Trafford and after some early struggles he has proven to be a vital player. United already look lost without him.
It’s a lot of money for a young player and the jury is still out, but he was surprisingly Murtagh’s best buy during his tenure as Manchester United’s football manager.
Read next: 5 reasons why Sir Jim Ratcliffe should not sack Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag
📣 Send it directly to the comments! Hoylund over Martinez? Tell us who you believe is the best in the Murtagh business…
