Though Sir Alex has a shrewd eye for talent and is ably supported by his scouting team, but they too have made a few mistakes. After all, humans only commit mistakes but when they are done in football, sometimes it proves too costly for the club, its reputation and its squad.
Here are 5 worst signings by Manchester United in the last 20 years.
Jordi Cruyff (1996-2000, 34 appearances, 8 goals)Sir Alex probably signed him because his dad was one of the world's greatest footballers. But unfortunately Jordi could not match the performances of his father.
Massimo Taibi (1999-2000, 4 appearances, 0 goals)Signing Taibi will always remain as a taboo for Fergie. His transfer proved just how poor Fergie used to be at spotting top goalkeeping talent.
Juan Sebastián Verón (2001–2003, 51 appearances, 7 goals)Sir Alex brought him at Old Trafford by splashing huge amount of money to Lazio. Though he was silent in his first season, the pressure got him on track in the second. But even that didn't last too long as injuries and bad performances kept him out of the playing eleven.
Eric Djemba-Djemba (2003-2005, 20 appearances, 0 goals)So good they named him twice - not!
Sir Alex had bought him as a replacement for Roy Keane. With Veron already shipped to Chelsea, the mid field lay vacant and hence Sir Alex picked a young Eric from Nantes, France. But he never found his feet at Old Trafford and was sold to Aston Villa.
David Bellion (2003-2005, 24 appearances, 4 goals)Touted as one of the best French strikers then, Bellion was bought to repeat the Cole-Yorke-Sheringham magic with Van Nistelrooy and Forlan. He did manage to score against Celtic in a pre-season friendly but never really found his special touch.
While some of these footballers were definitely good but could not match United's standards. The others were plain lucky to wear the red shirt and play at The Theater of Dreams. What do you think?
