As the most successful manager in the history of the English game, Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure was a blow to Manchester United fans. But they had no idea that their club, which the Scottish coach left at the pinnacle of English football, would sink so low. Since 2013, when ‘Fergie’ left the club, Manchester United have stopped fighting for the title. Now, a place in the Champions League has become their objective. Let’s take a look at the stars that have flunked Man United since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure.
The Reds Devils’ dismal results have had a knock-on effect on recruitment. While United were one of the most prestigious destinations since Ferguson’s departure, many of the top players have turned their backs on the club. Here are 13 of them, some of whom even had an agreement with the club before pulling out at the last minute, as reported by Givemesport.
The 13 stars who have turned down Man United since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure
Cesc Fabregas
David Moyes expected Fabregas to join United in his first (and only) summer transfer window, but the Spanish midfielder rejected the offer in order to fight for his place at Barcelona.
Toni Kroos
“Toni Kroos had agreed to come to Manchester United with me,” Moyes told talkSPORT last year. “I met him and his wife and we agreed everything when he was at Bayern Munich.” However, Kroos changed his mind after Moyes was sacked and signed for Real Madrid in 2014.
Thiago Alcantara
Man Utd had close links with Barcelona’s Thiago when Moyes took charge of the Red Devils, but the technically gifted midfielder ended up making a surprise transfer to Bayern Munich.
Gareth Bale
Man Utd tried to hijack Gareth Bale’s 2013 move from Tottenham to Real Madrid and even offered more than £86m – the premium paid by Los Blancos – but the Welshman had his heart set on the Bernabeu.
The 30-year-old has been linked with a move to United on several occasions since but remains a Madrid player for the time being.
Thomas Muller
Jose Mourinho wanted to add Muller to his ranks in his first summer transfer window in 2016 and United backed him with an £85m bid for the German striker, which was rejected. Two years earlier, when Louis van Gaal was in charge, United were also trying to sign Muller, but he had no interest in leaving the Allianz Arena for Manchester.
Sergio Ramos
In the summer of 2015, it genuinely looked like Man Utd were on the verge of signing Sergio Ramos, whose relationship with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had reportedly completely disappeared.
United fans waited and waited before the painfully predictable news arrived and crushed them: Ramos had rectified his differences with Perez and agreed a new long-term contract with Los Blancos.
Pedro
Pedro decided to leave Barcelona in the summer of 2015 after falling down the pecking order under Luis Enrique at Camp Nou. He had two attractive options from England: one from Chelsea and the other from United.
Sadio Mane
Van Gaal wanted to sign Mane from Southampton in 2015 but failed to find his man.
The Senegalese winger later told reporters: “Some teams wanted me. Manchester (United), the wrong team wanted me. Of course, I spoke to Van Gaal and they even made an offer. But for me, it wasn’t the right club, it wasn’t the right time. Feeling this – the right time, the right coach, the right club.”
Willian
Mourinho wanted Willian back at Old Trafford in the summer of 2018, months before he was sacked, but the Brazilian decided to reject his former manager to stay at Chelsea.
N’Golo Kante
What a difference Kante could have made at Old Trafford.
Mourinho tried to convince the world-class midfielder to join United instead of Chelsea in 2016, but his attempt was unsuccessful.
“It was great that Mourinho called me, even though I had already been warned about how he could seduce me,” Kante said in 2016.
Antoine Griezmann
Two years before finally leaving Atletico Madrid for Barcelona, Griezmann was strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford. The French striker was reportedly keen to join his close friend Paul Pogba, but Diego Simeone convinced him to stay in the Spanish capital.
Alvaro Morata
Morata has revealed that Man Utd tried to sign him in 2017, despite the offloading of Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea’s main target this summer. It is unclear whether United would have signed both players, but Morata was more interested in moving to Stamford Bridge than Old Trafford.
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