Man Utd's 10 best transfers of all time

Analysis

FT Desk

Manchester United have been the most dominant force in English football since the establishment of the Premier League, winning 13 titles - a tally nobody can match.

Under Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils gobbled up many of the rising stars from England and beyond, and with some excellent coaching they managed to remain at the top of the division for two decades.

This success in the transfer market coincided with seven Premier Leagues and a Champions League title in the 13 seasons that followed the turn of the century.

Ferguson retired in 2013 and United's transfer strategy hasn't been nearly as smooth since. It is no coincidence that they haven't won a Premier League or Champions League since he called it a day.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the 10 best Man Utd signings of the Premier League era.

Eric Cantona - €1.8m (from Leeds, 1992)

In September 1992, Man Utd's new striker Dion Dublin suffered a broken leg, ruling him out for the season, and after being rejected by top target Paul Hirst, they completed the signing of Eric Cantona from bitter rivals Leeds United. And it couldn't have worked out much better.

The charismatic Frenchman became Ferguson's talisman and he inspired Man Utd to nine trophies in the space of just five years, including four Premier League titles, despite only making 182 appearances for the Red Devils.

Cantona remains one of the best players in English football history and he was the first foreign superstar of the Premier League era. He retired at the premature age of just 30 in 1997, but he is still widely regarded as Man Utd's best ever signing.

Roy Keane - €4.4m (from Nottingham Forest, 1993)

Roy Keane's arrival from Nottingham Forest for a British record transfer fee in 1993 was a monumental moment in Man Utd's project under Ferguson.

He provided the Red Devils with additional steel and aggression in midfield, while he soon became club captain thanks to his immense leadership skills.

Keane may have fallen out with Ferguson just before his exit in 2005, but he is undoubtedly one of the best midfielders in Premier League history and a true Man Utd icon. He left Old Trafford having won a whopping 17 trophies, including a historic treble in 1999, in 480 games for the club.

Ruud van Nistelrooy - €28.5m (from PSV Eindhoven, 2001)

Despite concerns over his fitness when he moved to England, Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy proved to be an exceptional signing for Ferguson’s United side.

Over the course of five years at the club, Van Nistelrooy scored a sensational 95 goals in just 150 games and won a Premier League title, an FA Cup and an English League Cup.

The Dutchman is one of the most clinical strikers ever seen in the Premier League, and he won the Golden Boot in his second season in the competition en route to helping Man Utd lift the title.

He returned to United in 2024 as an assistant manager to Erik ten Hag, before taking over on an interim basis following his compatriot's departure.

Rio Ferdinand - €46m (from Leeds, 2002)

Rio Ferdinand was the kind of signing Ferguson made a habit of; identifying the best young English talent available and snapping them up. Michael Carrick was another example, but Ferdinand was perhaps his best.

The ex-West Ham and Leeds defender was exceptional on the ball and he was also a leader. Together with Nemanja Vidic, he was part of one of the best central defensive pairings in Premier League history.

He may have cost a British record fee for a defender but over a decade of successful service, in which he won 15 trophies and made 455 appearances, made the fee more than worth it.

Cristiano Ronaldo - €19m (from Sporting CP, 2003)

Man Utd were opening Sporting Lisbon’s new stadium in a pre-season friendly when a supposedly jet-lagged John O’Shea was given the run-around by a pacy and tricky teenager.

Ferguson was suitably impressed and sealed the signature of an unknown talent called Cristiano Ronaldo that same summer, despite the youngster only having 31 first-team appearances to his name.

In Ronaldo’s first season on English shores, Arsenal went the entire league campaign unbeaten to achieve their ‘Invincibles’ crown and after two years of Chelsea dominance, United were once again back to the top of the domestic scene thanks, in large part, to the legend's nascent talent.

His pace, power, skill and eye for goal made Ronaldo a nightmare for defenders and an impossible force to stop when in full flow. The Portuguese superstar scored 31 league goals during his penultimate season at the club, and won the Ballon d'Or in 2008 before leaving to join Real Madrid for a world record fee the following year.

He made his return to Old Trafford in 2021 and finished as United's top scorer in his first season back. However, his second campaign proved disastrous as he fell out of favour with new boss Erik ten Hag before having his contract terminated after an explosive interview in which he criticised the club.

In total, Ronaldo scored 145 goals in 346 games across two spells at Man Utd, winning nine trophies, although his first stint was unquestionably more successful.

Wayne Rooney - €37m (from Everton, 2004)

Wayne Rooney had already announced himself as the hottest property in English football by the time he made the move to United in 2004, and although his transfer fee raised eyebrows at the time, the Merseyside-born forward never looked in danger of failing to live up to the hype that came with being the most expensive teenager in history.

In 13 seasons at Old Trafford, Rooney won every honour available, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League, and carved out a key role for himself in one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s greatest ever sides.

He returned to Everton in 2017, having surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton as both United's and England’s record goalscorer - a measure of his longevity and success in Manchester. He is one of the club's best ever players and certainly one of their greatest signings.

Edwin van der Sar - €4m (from Fulham, 2005)

As the long-term replacement for United legend Peter Schmeichel, the pressure on Edwin van der Sar to succeed at Old Trafford couldn't have been much higher.

Yet, the Dutchman bettered expectations and in his best Premier League season remarkably conceded just 22 goals. Even then, Van der Sar's highlight in a Man Utd shirt came in the 2008 Champions League final, when he saved the final penalty of the shoot-out, from Chelsea’s Nicolas Anelka, to win the greatest club honour in Europe.

In six seasons with the Red Devils, Van der Sar made the Premier League Team of the Year on three occasions and won the title four times.

Patrice Evra - €8m (from Monaco, 2006)

It can often go unnoticed that Ferguson was able to pick up a France international who had already played in a Champions League final for just €8m, and retain him for eight years of hugely consistent performances in a fantastic defence which included Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Edwin van der Sar.

Patrice Evra’s longevity at the top of the game is a testament to his professionalism, fitness, and ability both defensively and offensively, a precursor for the modern full-back.

Evra was a pivotal player during Man Utd's success in Ferguson's latter years in charge, racking up 379 appearances and winning 14 trophies across an illustrious stint at Old Trafford. He remains one of the best full-backs to ever play in the Premier League.

Nemanja Vidic - €10.5m (from Spartak Moscow, 2006)

Plucked from relative obscurity in January 2006, Nemanja Vidic quickly proved his worth as one of the very best no-nonsense central defenders in the European game.

His direct, physical approach complemented the more technically gifted Ferdinand perfectly and the pair built a defensive partnership that was rarely rivalled across the continent, as shown by his five Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League triumph.

Vidic was named in the FIFPro World XI in 2009 and 2011, and he is the only defender in history to win the Premier League Player of the Season more than once (2009 and 2011).

David de Gea - €25m (from Atletico Madrid, 2011)

With Van der Sar retiring at the end of the 2010-11 season, United boss Ferguson knew he needed a long-term goalkeeper. He scouted David de Gea and signed the player following Gary Neville’s testimonial in May 2011.

The Spaniard was viewed as one of the best goalkeepers in the league for much of his time at Old Trafford, even if his confidence and form fell in his final seasons at the club.

De Gea spent 12 years in Manchester in total, making a whopping 545 appearances. He won five trophies, including the Premier League and Europa League, and was voted into the PFA Team of the Year five times.

He departed on a free transfer in 2023, having made the third-most Premier League appearances of any Man Utd player in history, behind only Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes (415).

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•App Store