Sir Alex Ferguson’s 9 big Man Utd transfer gaffes including Jaap Stam error

Hopes are high but it remains to be seen whether Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane will be a success at Manchester United.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has splashed the cash this summer with Sancho already arrived and a deal agreed for Varane.

United have a rich history when it comes to transfers with legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson able to entice plenty of big names to the club.

The the former manager didn't always get it right in the transfer window, bringing in some major flops while others perhaps left Old Trafford too soon.

And Daily Star Sport has rounded up nine of Fergie's most prolific gaffes when it came to the transfer window…

Bebe

There's a reason Bebe is regarded as the worst signing Sir Alex made during his lengthy Manchester United career.

Five weeks after he signed for Vitoria de Guimaraes, United paid around £7.4m for the unknown Portuguese forward.

He made just two substitute appearances in the Premier League during a four-year spell in England.

Will Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane be a success at Manchester United? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo was obviously a great signing, but there are many that think Ferguson let the Portuguese superstar leave Old Trafford too early.

Ronaldo was desperate to head to Real Madrid and finally got his wish in 2009, just months after Fergie had said there was no chance to the move.

There's no bad feelings between player and boss, but United fans still wonder what would have happened had Ronaldo stayed.

Jaap Stam

Jaap Stam impressed during his time at Old Trafford but was bizarrely allowed to leave just three years after arriving at United.

Ferguson has admitted it was one of his biggest regrets, saying: "When I think of disappointments, obviously Jaap Stam was always a disappointment to me, I made a bad decision there."

Eric Djemba-Djemba

Another iconic face at Old Trafford, Eric Djemba-Djemba is remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Ferguson wanted the Cameroonian to replace Roy Keane, but he was never up to the task.

He did manage 39 appearances across two years at Old Trafford before being sold to United's Premier League rivals Aston Villa.

Diego Forlan

A superstar on both the club and country stage, many still wonder why Diego Forlan's time at Old Trafford was so difficult.

Forlan arrived with plenty of expectation on his shoulders, and found the net ten times in the Premier League.

Though his time at United is generally seen as a bad one with Forlan saying: “I was at Manchester United, which is one of the best clubs in the world. But I wanted to play more.

“I wanted to have more minutes, and then came the offer from Villarreal which was good."

  • Man Utd's winners and losers from Raphael Varane transfer after agreeing £42m deal

Ruud Van Nistelrooy

The Dutchman scored 95 Premier League goals but a dispute with Ferguson saw him leave Old Trafford and head to Real Madrid.

Ferguson knew it was always going to be hard to keep Van Nistelrooy happy and the 2006 exit came under a cloud following the League Cup final win over Wigan where Fergie left Van Nistelrooy on the bench.

"We were on cruise control against Wigan," Ferguson wrote in his autobiography. "I saw an ideal opportunity to give Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic a taste of the game. They were my final substitutions.

"I turned to Ruud and said: 'I'm going to give these two lads a part of the game.' They were going to get a touch, a smell of winning something with Manchester United.

"'You ****,' said Van Nistelrooy. I'll always remember that."

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Juan Sebastian Veron

Big things were expected of Veron when United paid Lazio around £38m for his signature ahead of the 2001/02 season.

But he joined Chelsea after managing just seven goals in 51 games in the Premier League.

He didn't do much better at Stamford Bridge.

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Owen Hargreaves

The former Bayern Munich star was one of Manchester United's most disappointing signings, according to Ferguson himself.

“I look back less fondly on our move for Owen Hargreaves, who was phenomenal in the summer of 2006 and was just the type of player we needed to fill the gap left by Keane,” Ferguson wrote in his autobiography.

“We started to put together a bid for him. But I studied his playing record and felt a tinge of doubt. I didn’t feel a strong vibe about him.

“David Gill worked hard on the deal with Bayern. I met Owen’s agent at the World Cup final in Berlin. Nice man, a lawyer. I told him we could develop Hargreaves at United. It turned out to be a disaster.”

  • Man Utd stars trying to influence Paul Pogba’s future after Raphael Varane agreement

Dong Fangzhou

Similar to Bebe, Dong arrived at Old Trafford with many wondering exactly who the Chinese striker was.

The Red Devils only paid £500,000 to take him to Manchester and he left after a solitary Premier League appearance.

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