On July 29th 1996, Manchester United announced the signing of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the Norwegian striker would go onto enjoy a storied playing career at the club.
The ‘baby-faced assassin’ would score a total of 91 Premier League goals in 235 appearances for the Red Devils before retiring in 2007 and he was later brought back to the club as manager in 2018.
In just under three years at the helm, Solskjaer brought in a total of 13 players including the loan signing of Odion Ighalo and on the anniversary of his unveiling as an Old Trafford player, we’ve taken a look back at all 13 of those signings and ranked them from worst to best.
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13. Jadon Sancho
Signed from: Borussia Dortmund
Fee: £73m
Appearances: 83
On paper, Jadon Sancho looked like an incredibly exciting acquisition when he arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2021 and although there were brief moments where it looked like he might have found his feet with the Red Devils, the consistency was never there.
Sancho has since spent time back on loan at Borussia Dortmund and the entire 2024/25 campaign at Chelsea but remains a Manchester United player at the time of writing, despite clear attempts to offload him by the club.
Although by no means the worst player on this list, the huge transfer fee combined with the big expectations mean that Sancho cannot be viewed as anything but a huge flop at the club and he will not be remembered fondly by the United fanbase.
12. Donny van de Beek
Signed from: Ajax
Fee: £35m
Appearances: 62
After impressing as part of the Ajax side to reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2018/19 — and continuing his fine form in the next campaign – much was expected of Donny van de Beek when he arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2020.
Yet clearly unfancied by Solskjaer, his appearances under him were limited to cameos in the Premier League and occasional outings in cup competitions, so much so that it’s almost surprising that he managed to rack up 62 appearances before leaving the club.
Given that United parted with a fee of £35m to bring him in, the lack of time on the pitch combine with that fee to make him one of Solskjaer’s worst signings and after time spent on loan at Everton and Eintracht Frankfurt he joined Girona on a permanent deal in 2024.
11. Alex Telles
Signed from: Porto
Fee: £15.4m
Appearances: 50
Alex Telles struggled for fitness and form during his time with Manchester United and though he did show the odd glimpse of his true talent, Luke Shaw recapturing his form showed that Telles wasn’t really at the level required to take United to the next level.
Though the fee wasn’t high, more was expected from a player who was involved in the Brazil national team set-up at the time and came to the Premier League on the back of four excellent seasons in the Primeira Liga with Porto.
Ultimately though, he perhaps lacked the defensive intelligence required to play as a full-back in a more competitive division and his time at Old Trafford could at best be described as forgettable.
10. Facundo Pellistri
Signed from: Penarol
Fee: £9m
Appearances: 25
Facundo Pellistri was one of several United youngsters in recent years to show glimpses of potential in a handful of first-team appearances before ultimately fading, much like the likes of Adnan Januzaj and Federico Macheda before him.
The Uruguayan had two separate loan spells with Alaves plus one with Granada during his time at Old Trafford and as a result perhaps failed to gain a real rhythm and run of games in the first-team but to be honest in his few appearances he seemed to lack the quality to really nail down a first-team spot.
Although full of energy and directness, he never seemed to kick on as the club would’ve hoped and he left for Panathinaikos on a permanent deal in the summer of 2024.
9. Odion Ighalo
Signed from: Shanghai Shenhua
Fee: Loan
Appearances: 23
Man Utd’s scramble for a striker back in January 2020 was as desperately uncomfortable to watch as it likely was to be involved in. Eventually, they landed former Watford man Odion Ighalo on loan from Shanghai Shenhua.
His initial loan was believed to cost £4m, while United reportedly had to pay another £10m to keep him ’til January 2021. And he didn’t even score a Premier League goal in that time.
Nevertheless, Ighalo did chip in with a few important goals during United’s runs to the FA Cup and Europa League semi-finals in 2020 and always put in maximum effort, sealing his cult status among supporters.
8. Dan James
Signed from: Swansea City
Fee: £15m
Appearances: 74
Dan James’ time at Old Trafford frustrating and exciting in equal measure. On the one hand, his end product was never really good enough, but at a young age there was always a feeling that his electric pace and relentless work ethic made him a valuable option from the bench for Solskjaer.
After a blistering start in which he scored early goals against Chelsea and Southampton to be named United’s player of the month in August 2019, the Wales international’s form suffered and he never produced enough in the final third to be considered a real success at Old Trafford.
He eventually joined Leeds United after two seasons with the Red Devils – a club he had come very close to joining six months before he did move to Old Trafford.
7. Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Signed from: Crystal Palace
Fee: £45m
Appearances: 190
Few players have divided opinion at Old Trafford like Aaron Wan-Bissaka. His defensive contributions were outstanding as he routinely featured among the league’s top tacklers and stopped the very best wingers around in their tracks.
The problem was always Wan-Bissaka’s progression with the ball at his feet and his decision-making when it comes to passing was disastrous at times – in a bygone era he could’ve been an elite level full-back but much more is expected of a player in that position in the modern game.
Still, United fans always appreciated the defensive stability that he brought to this side and he left for West Ham in 2024 with well wishes from the majority of the Old Trafford faithful after 190 appearances and FA Cup and EFL Cup winners medals.
6. Cristiano Ronaldo
Signed from: Juventus
Fee: £12.8m plus add-ons
Appearances: 54
What can you say about Cristiano Ronaldo’s second spell at Manchester United that hasn’t been written about a 1000 times before? 27 goals in 54 appearances paint the picture of a very productive return to Old Trafford, but those numbers don’t quite tell the full story.
While Solskjaer was clearly beholden to Ronaldo’s culture of personality at times, United’s football suffered as a result of the legendary forward’s return to the club as exciting young forwards like Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho had to adjust to accomodate a team-mate with limited movement both in and out of possession, making the Red Devils predictable and rigid.
There were stunning moments including last-gasp winners in the Champions League and a match-winning hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur but ultimately his presence at the club appeared to have a damaging effect overall – despite the impressive numbers.
5. Harry Maguire
Signed from: Leicester City
Fee: £80m
Appearances: 246.
With an £80m price tag on his head, Harry Maguire was always going to come under intense scrutiny. Often, the level of criticism he’s received has felt incredibly unjust and for longevity alone he deserves a relatively high spot on this list.
Peeling away the layers and looking objectively on the field, the England international made a really solid start to life at Old Trafford under Solskjaer, was eventually named captain by the Norwegian boss and after a few difficult years has come good again in the last two seasons while other defenders have joined, featured and ultimately fell away.
Despite several opportunities to leave, Maguire has remained committed to recapturing his form in incredibly difficult circumstances after being virtually frozen out under Erik ten Hag and his reputation has undergone some redemption as his form has started to improve again in the last couple of seasons since the pressure of the captaincy was taken from him.
4. Raphael Varane
Signed from: Free agent (previously at PSG)
Fee: £41m
Appearances: 92
There’s a feeling that Varane could’ve featured even higher on this list had it not been for the injuries that dogged the French defender and eventually led to his retirement at the age of 31 after he left Old Trafford for Como but failed to make a single appearance for the Italian club.
Brought in to provide experience and stability to a leaky backline, Varane did exactly that as a World Cup and four-time Champions League winner, showing real elegance on the ball and intelligent positioning.
His performances in 2022-23 alongside Lisandro Martinez were particularly impressive but ultimately the former Real Madrid man’s body failed him and he was unable to continue performing at the high level he had managed throughout his career.
3. Edinson Cavani
Signed from: Free agent (previously at PSG)
Fee: Free
Appearances: 59
Like Ighalo, the arrival of Edinson Cavani to Man Utd was seen as something of a panic signing in the absence of other late-window options, but he did come with a higher profile and much more talent than the former Watford man and was much more effective in his spell with the club.
In his first season, the Uruguayan has netted 17 goals and set up a further six to fire the Red Devils to runner-up spots in the Premier League and Europa League, often keeping much younger options like Anthony Martial out of the side. For a free transfer, it was an incredible value move for the club that truly paid off.
Ronaldo’s arrival at the end of that campaign lessened the requirement for an experienced forward for the younger attackers to play off, and Cavani managed just two goals in his 20 appearances that season before leaving on a free to join Valencia and eventually returning to South America with Boca Juniors.
2. Amad Diallo
Signed from: Atalanta
Fee: £18.17 plus add-ons
Appearances: 64
Although it’s taken him a few years, Diallo finally became a first-team regular at Old Trafford last season, coming good on the promise he has shown in a handful of appearances before that and in productive loan spells with Rangers and Sunderland.
Although he barely featured under Solskjaer himself, the potential for Diallo with his quick feet and intelligent running to become a key part of the United first-team was always there and under Ruben Amorim he appears to have kicked on further in the latter stages of the 2024/25 season.
Playing as one of the inside forwards and occasionally at right wing-back, Diallo’s versatility and speed make him a great player to have in the squad and he’s one of few players that United could arguably sell at a profit right now from their transfer business of the last few seasons.
1. Bruno Fernandes
Signed from: Sporting CP
Fee: £47m
Appearances: 290
In terms of successful signings for Manchester United in recent years, Bruno Fernandes stands head and shoulders above the competition.
To date, the Portugal international has 96 goals and 86 assists in 290 appearances across all competitions and has been the beating heart of the team ever since his arrival at the club winning the Fan’s Player of the Year award on no fewer than four occassions and even captaining the team since Erik ten Hag had him replace Harry Maguire as skipper in 2023.
Despite the issues United have faced in his time at the club, Fernandes has been a constant attacking threat even when the team have been performing at their worst and in one of the gloomiest periods in this great club’s storied history, he has been a rare but shining bright spark.
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