Worst Manchester United signings of the Glazers era
There is no denying that the Glazers are widely regarded as some of the worst owners in football history and the last decade or so has been the biggest evidence of that. Manchester United has gone from being a world football powerhouse to a team that in best case scenario reach the UEFA Champions League every year, with the institution constantly making a lot of mistakes in the process of regaining its greatness.While it is true that the ownership invested a lot of money in signings, most of them have proven to be a massive failure and have been viewed as a waste of resources by a lot of people. Moreover, some of these signings have had giant ramifications on the structure of the squad, which is another factor worth taking into account.
This is a list featuring some of the worst signings in the Glazers' era, now that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS took over the sporting side of things in 2024. It is also worth pointing out that signings that are still at the club and are perceived as candidates for this list won't be considered here.

Alexis Sanchez
Now, when compared to other players on this list, Alexis Sanchez didn't cost a lot of money. He was signed in January of 2018 while Armenian attacker Henrikh Mkhitaryan went to Arsenal in a swap deal. On paper, this seemed like a great signing because the Chilean had been one of the Premier League's stars since his arrival to Arsenal in 2014 and had enough quality to boost Jose Mourinho's side's chances for the title at the time.The former Arsenal attacker only lasted a year and a half at Old Trafford and only scored 5 goals in 45 matches across all competitions. Although that is already bad enough, Alexis also overall struggled to make an impact with United, oftentimes being more of a hurdle than an asset for the team.
It is also worth pointing out that Mourinho, at the time of signing the Chilean, had made both Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial play on the left side as wingers, rotating between each other and scoring regularly. Alexis was signed, on paper at least, to boost the right side of the attack but was pushed to the left, hurting the rhythm of Martial and Rashford.
Naturally, it is also worth mentioning his salary of 350,000 pounds per week, which had a lot of ramifications on the club's finances.

Jadon Sancho
Jadon Sancho's case at United is similar to the Alexis Sanchez one but with the addition of an 85-million-euro transfer fee to Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2021 and even more frustration. While the player still technically belongs to the club at this moment, Chelsea, where he currently is on loan, has an obligation to buy of 25 million euros, which means that he is not going to be a Red Devil anymore.A total of 12 goals in 83 matches is already a paltry output for a player who shined in Germany and Bundesliiga, but there is also the fact that the footballer never showed enough in Old Trafford. He rarely was any of the best players on the pitch and never stood out because of his work rate, leading him to be a disappointing signing for the club in every single aspect.
There was also the fallout with manager Erik Ten Hag at the beginning of the 2023/24 season, with Sancho defying the latter's statement of him not training well. He was separated from the team for a few months, was loaned out to Dortmund in the January transfer window, and most people assumed that was it for him, which it kind of was even if he technically returned to the club before the deal was made with Chelsea.

Romelu Lukaku
While Lukaku's 88 million euros transfer to Manchester United in 2017 wasn't as catastrophic as Sancho and Alexis, there is no denying that the Belgian was signed to be the Red Devils' main striker for at least the next decade. When considering he was only 24 years old at the time, it seemed like a perfect moment for him to reach his prime and lead the team to success.It wasn't the case. Lukaku's 27 goals in 51 matches during his first season seem like a rather excellent output but he had a massive drought during the second half of the season. This was coupled with a smaller goal output in the second season, and people started to complain about his lack of technical ability and not standing out because of his poor work rate.
The former Everton striker wasn't very interested in fighting for his place, either, with him pushing for a transfer away from the club two years after signing for it.

Ángel Di Maria
This was the Glazers' first-ever major flop as United's owners. Ángel Di Maria seemed like a match made in heaven and United was paying a then-record fee of 75.6 million euros for a player who was key in Real Madrid's UEFA Champions League triumph during the 2013/14 season. And considering that the Red Devils only have had one bad season after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement at the time, it seems that the Argentinian was going to be the man to make a difference for United.Sure, Di Maria started well and then fell off a massive cliff in terms of performances and also, what it seemed like, the desire to be there. His issues with manager Louis van Gaal were also quite prominent, to the point that the former Real Madrid man pressured to leave for Paris Saint-Germain after just one season in Manchester.
It was the first major flop of the Glazers' era and the beginning of a downward spiral that is still going on today.