Ed Woodward might have been an utterly terrible figure for Manchester United, but he was always one for theatrics and headline-worthy statements.
The one comment that stands out is when Woodward told Manchester United fans, “we can do things in the transfer market that other clubs can only dream of”, only not to back it up.
During his eight years in charge of transfers, Woodward made some terrible signings, despite often discussing his desire to sign superstars.
These failures have been a constant point of attention, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe slamming Woodward for having no football knowledge as recently as April.
Jose Mourinho was also not a fan of Woodward, with the CEO failing to back the Portuguese manager in 2018, which led to a doomed campaign that saw the ‘special one’ sacked in December.
Woodward finally left United in 2021, although his legacy lives on in the battle Ineos are currently in to steady the sinking ship.
But now, on the 10-year anniversary of one United signing, it is worth looking back on one left-field prediction that Woodward got very wrong.
Ed Woodward predicted Bastian Schweinsteiger would be a sensation for Manchester United
On July 21st, 2015, the United CEO discussed the signing of Bastian Schweinsteiger, who had joined the prior week, and he was absolutely thrilled to be doing so.
As quoted by the Metro, Woodward was not coy over his excitement around the fact that he had managed to sign Schweinsteiger for United.
“It’s fantastic to see a player like that come to Manchester United.
“He’s our first ever German, and what a German – he’s won absolutely everything and comes here with fantastic experience.
“When people see Bastian on the teamsheet, that’s going to send some shivers down the spine.”
Schweinsteiger cost £14m and was 30 years old, which makes it bizarre that Woodward would bill the midfielder as though he were prime Lionel Messi.
It also created expectations that Schweinsteiger would never have been able to live up to.
Bastian Schweinsteiger was a massive disappointment at Manchester United
While Schweinsteiger was among the best midfielders in the world during his time at Bayern Munich, this was one of the first deals that saw United take a player past his prime from another big club.
The drop off was clear from the player that we assumed United had signed, with his athleticism completely gone.
During his debut season for United, Schweinsteiger missed over 130 days through injury between January and June.
At the end of this season, Louis van Gaal was gone, and Jose Mourinho came in with no intention of using the German and actually treated him harshly in the end.
Schweinsteiger was forced to train with the U16s and banished from the senior squad by Mourinho.
Woodward’s dramatisation of the transfer window is not something we miss.
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