Sir Alex Ferguson will go down as the greatest manager of all time after 26 trophy-laden years at Manchester United, but even the legendary Scot made signings that would flop in the Red shirt.
Many conversations have been had about Sir Alex Ferguson’s best signings, biggest flops and all-time best player.
Of course, Ferguson owes a lot of his untouchable legacy to his players, who brought him success. Even those who didn’t work out because he would have learned from the lows as much as the highs.
There is more attention on Premier League players nowadays, especially when it comes to anyone associated with United.
Liverpool’s new signing Florian Wirtz has experienced a tough start to the 2025/26 season, yet to register a single goalscoring contribution for his new club after costing a whopping £116m.
Paul Scholes, who won 11 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues under Ferguson, has made a comparison to a former United marquee signing that should concern Wirtz.
Paul Scholes compares Florian Wirtz to Juan Sebastian Veron
It has taken 10 games for Wirtz to become a talking point, despite failing to express himself in his opening matches for Liverpool.
The media were quicker to question Benjamin Sesko after his first few games, despite having cost significantly less.
Wirtz scored 10 goals and registered 12 assists for Bayer Leverkusen last season, but he is failing to reach those demands in his first season in the Premier League.
Scholes spoke about Wirtz on the recent episode of The Overlap, with a comparison to former United flop Juan Sebastián Verón, who had a big reputation that fizzled under Premier League demands.
The Argentinian established himself at Lazio as a skilful number 10, but struggled to play in a deeper role for United, with Scholes instructed to move further forward.
Veron made a total of 82 appearances for United, scoring 11 goals and registering 16 assists. He also won the Premier League title in 2003.
“Yeah, I think Wirtz is a little bit different to Veron, and he was more of a number 10, I’d say,” Scholes said. “I think Veron was a central midfield player, but you’re right, you just, he couldn’t settle into the team. It seemed to disrupt things of the way the team played.
“He was a little bit more of a free spirit, wasn’t he? So he didn’t really play the position that well, and we always played with a two in midfield, so other than European games, we’re much better in European games because there’s that little bit of security around the team.
“I think it’s the same with Wirtz, because the midfield players aren’t quite functioning and in form, like at Gravenberch last year, was brilliant in that position, sat there, controlled everything.
“When you play that number 10 position, you’ve got to be certain what’s behind you. You have to have that security in behind you just to be a bit more relaxed.”
What is Juan Sebastián Veron doing now?
After a career that saw him play for an array of clubs, appreciated at many, Veron also made 72 appearances for Argentina.
Veron is currently the chairman of his hometown club, Estudiantes, and has never stepped foot into management.
Despite being a global legend of the game, Veron keeps a low profile and focuses on Estudiantes.
Veron was there for the renovation of Estudiantes’ stadium in 2019.
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