Paul Ince has explained why it’s so much harder for ‘big’ signings to be a success at Manchester United than other clubs
Manchester United have spent hundreds upon hundreds of millions on a laundry list of footballers over the last decade but precious few of them have actually gone on to be successful at Old Trafford.
In the current squad alone, only Bruno Fernandes has fulfilled all expectations placed upon him after signing for the club.
The jury is still out on the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana and Lisandro Martinez, who have had promising starts but been held back by either injuries or mistakes.
But Erik ten Hag’s other big signings like Antony and Mason Mount have disappointed so far, while Casemiro is struggling in his second season after a great debut campaign.
Wasting money has become a trend for United but Paul Ince says the expectations on players are so much higher at the club than anywhere else in England.
Paul Ince explains why so many United signings struggle
When asked which club had higher expectations out of United and Liverpool on the Up Front with Simon Jordan podcast, Ince said: “Manchester United.
“All day long. Without a doubt.
“Thing about Man United, you’ve just mentioned Wilf Zaha, you’ve seen big players go there and fail because of the pressure it brings on top of you.
“Liverpool they more embrace you, that’s the difference.
“That’s why you always hear people say ‘oh, he’s not a Man United player.’
“You never hear them say that about anyone else. They don’t say ‘he’s not a Tottenham player’, ‘he’s not a Liverpool player.’
“‘He’s not a Man United player,’ because it comes with so many things you have to deal with.
“If you can’t and you shrink. We’ve seen it happen time and time again.”
United’s horrible track record in the transfer market
You don’t need to look much further than Jadon Sancho as the best example of how players struggle at United despite flourishing elsewhere.
Sancho was dazzling at Borussia Dortmund. He was on the same level as Erling Haaland as he scored goals and set them up for fun.
In his first spell in Germany, the winger had 114 goal contributions in just 147 games.
His tally after 82 games at United stands at just 18 and now he’s back at Dortmund after falling out with Ten Hag.
Out of United’s top 10 most expensive signings ever, only Fernandes will currently go down as a club great.
Paul Pogba, Antony, Harry Maguire, Sancho, Romelu Lukaku and Angel Di Maria have all been disappointments, while Hojlund, Mount and Casemiro still have things to prove.
If the club ever want to be successful again, they need to sign more ‘United’ players.
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