Man Utd’s worst XI of 21st century includes Bebe, Di Maria and Alexis Sanchez but is Weghorst in the team?
MANCHESTER UNITED have been one of the most successful clubs around since the turn of the century - but they have not gotten all of their transfer moves right
The latest player who has struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford is loan signing Wout Weghorst.
He joined United from Burnley in January as they looked to boost their attacking options.
But he has struggled in front of goal and been dropped to the bench.
The Dutchman closely followed in the wake of his struggling compatriot Donny van de Beek.
He arrived from Ajax in August 2020 in a £35million but failed to become a first-team regular before being farmed out on loan to Everton in January 2022.
He has now returned but was still only being used as an impact substitute despite reuniting with former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman then suffered a season-ending injury to compound his miserable three years at the club.
However, does Van de Beek and Weghorst disappointing spells earn them a spot in United’s worst XI of the 21st Century?
The United End’s Tom McDermott tells us below as he picks his very own team of Red Devils flops.
Anders Lindegaard
Lindegaard spent five seasons at the club, but they were largely forgettable, supporting Edwin van der Sar and David de Gea.
On reflection, Lindegaard wasn’t a bad keeper but lacked the composure and experience to hold down the No1 jersey on a permanent basis.
Alexander Buttner
Buttner was described by Sir Alex Ferguson as "one of the best young left-backs in Europe" when he signed in 2012, and was part of the title-winning squad in 2013.
After Ferguson’s retirement, he drifted to some of the lesser-known teams in the football world.
Buttner now plays for Dutch second-tier side De Graafschap.
Marcos Rojo
How Rojo survived at United for so long, I’ll never know.
Signed by Louis van Gaal in 2014, the versatile defender spent more time in the treatment room and sidelines than on the pitch.
When he did play, he struggled to cope with the rhythm of the English game.
Rojo is now back in his homeland playing for Boca Juniors.
Guillermo Varela
David Moyes’ first transfer as Manchester United manager was the unknown Uruguayan.
Varela was signed after impressing both with his home club, Penarol, and in the South American youth championships.
In hindsight it was probably a step he couldn’t handle.
The Uruguayan is currently contracted to Dynamo Moscow but is on loan at Brasileiro Série A club Flamengo.
Bebe
In 2010, United spent £7.4m to sign Tiago Manuel Dias Correia, otherwise known as Bebe.
Bebe was recommended to Ferguson by his former assistant Carlos Queiroz, with the Scot later admitting that he hadn’t seen him play.
Given the criticism he received, he did go on to have a reasonable career in Spain.
The Portuguese attacker is currently at Real Zaragoza, on loan from Rayo Vallecano.
Morgan Schneiderlin
Schneiderlin played over 30 times for United, but I can’t remember one single appearance.
Joining after several impressive years at Southampton, it always felt like the club was too big for him.
He struggled from the day he arrived.
He did become a regular at Ligue 1 side Nice, but fell out of favour and is currently on loan at Western Sydney Wanderers in the A-League.
Kleberson
The Brazil World Cup winner just edges out Eric Djemba-Djemba.
Kleberson joined at the same time as Cristiano Ronaldo and after some decent early showings completely lost his way.
It was never going to be easy competing with Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt for a starting spot.
Following his exit from United, he club-hopped from Turkey to Brazil and then to America.
After retiring, he went into coaching and is currently working as an assistant coach at New York City FC.
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Wilfried Zaha
Zaha was Ferguson’s last signing at the club and immediately loaned back to Palace which meant he never worked under United’s greatest manager.
Moyes was left to pick up the pieces, but Zaha wasn’t the polished attacker he is today.
The Ivorian has become a club legend at Palace and is their record Premier League goalscorer.
Zaha is regularly tipped for a move to a bigger side and with his contract set to expire, he could finally get his chance this summer.
Memphis Depay
Right player, wrong time.
Depay has rebuilt his career well but lacked the maturity at United to establish himself properly.
If he had joined under Ferguson’s leadership and given more time, he may well have flourished.
Depay left United for Lyon where he excelled for four years before leaving for Barcelona.
The Dutchman struggled for regular football at the Nou Camp and is now at Atletico Madrid.
Angel Di Maria
Great excitement when he joined but he never really wanted to be there in the first place.
Off-field problems didn’t help, but Di Maria and United were just never meant to be.
Fans let him know how special he was to them when he returned with Paris Saint-Germain in 2019.
The Argentine enjoyed seven successful years in France before leaving for Juventus last year.
He then helped his nation lift the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Alexis Sanchez
What a disaster. Similar to Di Maria in that you got the impression that he never really wanted to be at the club.
Left for Inter and won Serie A with them, but his days as a world class forward have not been seen since his time at Arsenal.
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He stayed in Italy for a couple of seasons but never hit the form that he did at Arsenal.
The Chilean is now in Ligue 1 with Marseille.