There is a feeling that Manchester United’s recruitment has turned a corner this season, even with Ruben Amorim’s side still languishing in mid-table in the Premier League.
Bryan Mbeumo, for instance, has already scored six times for the club, while Senne Lammens has tasted defeat just once in his first six games in the sticks.
More is expected of both Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko – who have scored only three goals between them – yet there have certainly been reasons for encouragement, not least the Brazilian’s stellar showing away at Anfield.
That almost £250m quartet have made an impact, no doubt about it, with the INEOS regime looking to have learned from the mistakes of the previous summer – and those that came before them.
Sancho vs Antony: Who was the worst signing?
The beauty of Mbeumo is that the former Brentford man – signed for around £71m – has hit the ground running. He is delivering what supporters would have hoped for, and more.
That certainly hasn’t been the case for United forwards of the recent past, with far too many expensive gambles having backfired, not least in the case of Jadon Sancho and Antony.
Starting with Sancho, the £73m man was courted for over a year before arriving in the summer of 2021 for what looked like a knockdown price at the time, having chalked up 107 goals and assists in 137 appearances during his first spell at Borussia Dortmund.
Hampered by an ear infection, the Englishman never really got going right from the off, in truth, overshadowed too by the subsequent capture of Cristiano Ronaldo.
After such a drawn-out saga, there was a muted excitement when Sancho did arrive, while he subsequently produced mere moments of quality, including the opener in Erik ten Hag’s first win against Liverpool.
The 25-year-old – now on loan at Aston Villa – has been truly forgettable, while Antony’s 2022 signing remains regrettable, with United forking out £86m on a player who was valued at around £25m just a year or so earlier.
A Ten Hag favourite at Ajax, the mercurial Brazilian did score in his first three league games, but that was about as good as it got in Manchester for the much-maligned left-footer.
Two statement goals did follow that season against Real Betis and Barcelona in the Europa League, albeit with that only heightening the belief that he is more suited to a league like LaLiga, where he is currently thriving.
He did at least have those moments, alongside his FA Cup strike against Liverpool, perhaps giving him the edge in the wooden spoon battle with Sancho – not least with expectations having been quite so high for the ex-England international.
Cost
£86m
£73m
Games
96
83
Goals
12
12
Assists
5
6
PL Games
62
58
PL Goals
5
9
PL Assists
3
6
Miserable marquee moves have, of course, followed since, but INEOS might well have made the worst of them.
Man Utd's biggest waste since Antony and Sancho
£70m might have been spent on Casemiro in that same summer as Antony’s arrival, but for all his flaws, the ageing midfielder is still an important figure for Amorim.
Rasmus Hojlund, at £72m, is another questionable, costly deal of recent times, although the Dane did at least finish his first season as the club’s top scorer in all competitions.
Looking back to last summer, too, the investment in Matthijs de Ligt is beginning to bear fruit, while, despite a shaky showing against Everton, Leny Yoro still looks destined to be a star of the future.
The same, unfortunately, cannot be said of another high-profile capture from that INEOS-led window, in the form of £50m man, Manuel Ugarte.
Now, the merits of selling Scott McTominay can continue to be debated, although the real issue is that having sold the Scotland star for £26m, the club then spent almost double on what only looks to be a downgrade in the midfield ranks.
Indeed, while McTominay has gone to secure Ballon d’Or nods and Scudetto triumphs, Ugarte has remained a polarising presence at Old Trafford, having struggled right from the off following his arrival from Paris Saint-Germain.
Neglected by Ten Hag, the reunion with Amorim initially looked set to be a fruitful one for the Uruguayan, having memorably put in a standout showing at Anfield in January.
Just four months later, however, the 24-year-old was merely an unused substitute in the Europa League final, having reportedly been given a dressing down by Amorim at Carrington in the wake of that defeat.
Like Donny van de Beek before him, even linking up with a former manager hasn’t helped to spark his United career into life, with Ugarte again notably overlooked during Monday’s defeat to Everton.
In the words of his manager, the £120k-per-week flop is “struggling” right now, with his woes on the ball particularly evident.
Among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues this season, he ranks in just the bottom 15% for progressive passes and the bottom 20% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.
The £50m man – who has two goals and six assists in 55 games for the club to date – has only actually started two league games this season, with Amorim favouring the experience of Casemiro ahead of him in that midfield two.
Entering what is a pivotal second season for Ugarte, he is showing no signs of being a player for the long term at Old Trafford, with midfield improvements drastically needed in 2026.
To have forked out such a substantial fee for a truly limited player – one described as “embarrassing” earlier this season by journalist Alex Turk – reflects poorly on the INEOS regime, with the ‘struggling’ asset already heading the way of Antony and Sancho as a notable transfer misfire.
Not Lammens: Man Utd flop is becoming their biggest liability since Onana
Manchester United have a player who has massively failed to deliver at Old Trafford since his transfer.
1 ByEthan Lamb Nov 27, 2025