The Rebuild, Ranked: Manchester United’s Best Signings Since Sir Alex Left
Manchester United signings after Sir Alex Ferguson tend to live one of two lives.
They either become trivia questions or they become arguments.
For every fee that quietly evaporated, there’s been a handful of players who genuinely moved the club forward. Players who didn’t just exist on the teamsheet but defined seasons. Players tied to trophies, big nights, and those specific Old Trafford roars you can still hear in your head.
This list isn’t just about hype or transfer fees. It’s about impact, production, silverware, and moments that actually mattered.
From cult heroes to captains to late bloomers, these are the ten best Manchester United signings of the post-Ferguson era, factoring in both transfer fees and impact.
The players that have kept Manchester United afloat
1) Bruno Fernandes – £50m from Sporting (2020)
All competitions (Manchester United): 312 appearances, 103 goals, 97 assists
Trophies: EFL Cup (2023), FA Cup (2024)
Best moment: Hat-trick vs Leeds United (Premier League, 14 August 2021)
The most important United signing of the last decade and it isn’t especially close. We do talk about Bruno.
When Bruno arrived in January 2020, the team sped up immediately. Passes went forward earlier. Shots came quicker. Games felt urgent again.
A midfielder with 103 goals and 97 assists is absurd production. That’s striker territory. Penalties, long-range efforts, late winners, chance creation every week.
Beyond numbers, he sets the emotional temperature. He demands the ball, demands movement, and rarely hides. United’s post-Fergie years often lacked personality. Bruno gave the side one.
He didn’t just improve the team. He became the team.
2) Zlatan Ibrahimović – Free from PSG (2017)
All competitions (Manchester United): 53 appearances, 29 goals, 10 assists
Trophies: Community Shield (2016), EFL Cup (2017), Europa League (2017)
Best moment: Two goals vs Southampton in the 2017 EFL Cup final
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, He is a Swedish hero.
On a free from PSG, He cost us f*cking zero.
6 foot 5; hard as f*ck, He gets the Reds excited.
Stick your City up your a**e, ‘Cos we are Man United…
The song says it all, really. Zlatan came in on a free from PSG and although he had a short stint at the club, he had a huge impact.
Zlatan arrived at 35 and immediately carried himself like the biggest figure in the league. United finally had a centre-forward who treated big games like personal challenges.
Twenty-nine goals in 53 matches, three trophies, and goals in finals. His season delivered exactly what it promised: reliability when the lights were brightest.
At Wembley in the League Cup final, he scored twice, including the late winner. That afternoon captured his entire spell. Big stage. Big personality. Big finish.
3) Raphaël Varane – £34m from Real Madrid (2021)
All competitions (Manchester United): 95 appearances, 2 goals, 1 assist
Trophies: EFL Cup (2023), FA Cup (2024)
Best moment: Starting and anchoring the defence in the 2024 FA Cup final win vs Manchester City
Varane’s influence showed up in subtle ways.
Better positioning. Cleaner clearances. Fewer emergencies.
He rarely looked rushed, even when everything around him was. The defence felt calmer with him there, more measured, less chaotic. That steadiness matters across a long season.
Injuries limited his minutes, but during trophy runs he brought elite-level experience. United’s best modern defensive performances often featured Varane quietly tidying everything up behind the scenes.
4) Edinson Cavani – Free from PSG (2020)
All competitions (Manchester United): 59 appearances, 19 goals, 7 assists
Trophies: None
Best moment: Two goals and an assist off the bench vs Southampton (Premier League, 29 November 2020)
Another striker on a free from PSG?
Cavani was pure striker education.
Every movement had purpose. Near-post runs, blindside darts, constant scanning. He scored goals simply by being smarter than the defender next to him.
Nineteen goals in 59 games doesn’t scream superstar, but the influence went beyond totals. United’s forwards started moving better just by watching him.
That Southampton comeback remains the perfect snapshot. Subbed on. Game flipped. Three direct goal involvements. Classic centre-forward work.
Edinson #Cavani became the third player in #ManchesterUnited history aged over 33 to score 10+ goals in a #PremierLeague season, the other two being Teddy #Sheringham and #Zlatan #Ibrahimovic. #Manchester #United #ManUtd #MUFC #365Scores pic.twitter.com/DFh4otNPgw
— 365Scores (@365Scores) May 19, 2021
5) Juan Mata – £37m from Chelsea (2014)
All competitions (Manchester United): 285 appearances, 51 goals, 44 assists
Trophies: FA Cup (2016), Community Shield (2016), EFL Cup (2017), Europa League (2017)
Best moment: Bicycle kick vs Liverpool at Anfield (Premier League, 22 March 2015)
Mata’s career at United was built on consistency and craft.
He was never the fastest player on the pitch, but almost always the cleverest. His touch, positioning, and passing kept attacks ticking over in teams that sometimes struggled for ideas.
Across eight seasons he stacked nearly 300 appearances and four trophies. That longevity says plenty.
And then there’s Anfield. One overhead kick, one perfect connection, one goal that still shows up in every derby montage.
13 years ago today, Manchester United completed the signing of Juan Mata…
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) January 25, 2026
The entrance from the helicopter. 🥶🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/YC1et0PWSi
6) Bryan Mbeumo – £65m from Brentford (2025)
All competitions (Man United): 19 appearances, 9 goals, 1 assist
Trophies: None
Best moment: Decisive goal vs Brighton during his first months at the club
Mbeumo looks built for modern chaos football.
Direct running, constant pressing, goals arriving from different angles. He doesn’t wait for a perfect setup. He forces things to happen.
Nine goals in his first 19 matches is immediate value, not a slow adjustment period. United have missed that kind of instant punch from new attackers.
He stretches defences, creates space for others, and feels like the sort of forward you can plug into multiple systems without losing effectiveness.
🔥 Non-penalty league goals since the start of last season:
— 365Scores (@365Scores) November 8, 2025
⚽ Bryan Mbeumo – 20
⚡ Ousmane Dembélé – 20
🎯 Raphinha – 19
Elite company — and none from the spot! 💪⚽ pic.twitter.com/6qMUZah6pr
7) Amad Diallo – £19m from Atalanta (2020)
All competitions (Manchester United): 82 appearances, 16 goals, 15 assists
Trophies: FA Cup (2024)
Best moment: Extra-time winner vs Liverpool in the FA Cup (17 March 2024)
Amad’s path wasn’t linear. Loans, injuries, sporadic minutes. Then the talent started to stick.
Close control, quick feet, and that low centre of gravity that makes defenders overcommit. When he’s confident, he’s a nightmare to mark.
His output is already strong for a player who hasn’t always been first choice. And the Liverpool winner pushed him into fan-favourite territory instantly.
Cup games create heroes. That night did exactly that.
🚨OFFICIAL 🚨
— 365Scores (@365Scores) January 9, 2025
Amad Diallo has signed a new contract at Manchester United until 2030 ✅ pic.twitter.com/6dn0ADrzk6
8) Diogo Dalot – £20m from Porto (2018)
All competitions (Manchester United): 233 appearances, 10 goals, 19 assists
Trophies: EFL Cup (2023), FA Cup (2024)
Best moment: Starting in the 2023 EFL Cup final win vs Newcastle United
Dalot represents steady growth.
Early doubts slowly turned into reliability. Now he feels like one of the first names managers trust when they want balance and work rate.
Two hundred and thirty-three appearances tells the story. He plays. A lot. Across positions. Across systems.
Every successful squad needs someone who quietly gives you seven out of ten every week. Dalot became that player.
9) Lisandro Martínez – £49m from Ajax (2022)
All competitions (Manchester United): 103 appearances, 3 goals, 3 assists
Trophies: EFL Cup (2023), FA Cup (2024)
Best moment: Dominant display vs Barcelona at Old Trafford (Europa League, 23 February 2023)
Martínez changed the mood of the defence immediately.
Aggressive, front-foot, combative. He steps into midfield, wins tackles early, and plays progressive passes instead of safe ones.
There’s an edge to everything he does. Opponents feel it, especially Erling Haaland…
United have often looked softer than their rivals over the last decade. Martínez helped fix that perception fast.
10) Matheus Cunha – £60m from Wolves (2025)
All competitions (Manchester United): 22 appearances, 5 goals, 2 assists
Trophies: None
Best moment: Late winner vs Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium
Cunha brings connective energy to the attack.
He drops deep, links play, carries the ball through tight spaces, and then arrives in the box at exactly the right time. Not a traditional nine. Not quite a ten. Something in between.
His early numbers are solid, but the bigger value is how he knits moves together.
Scoring a late winner away at Arsenal is the sort of moment that instantly earns trust. Tough ground, tight game, decisive finish. The kind of contribution supporters remember.
Matheus Cunha sends a message to Unite fans after scoring his first goal for the club! pic.twitter.com/e64knODTwQ
— 365Scores (@365Scores) October 26, 2025
Honourable mentions
Alejandro Garnacho
If you’re strict about signings, he counts in a different way: United paid around £420,000 to bring him into the academy in 2020, then later sold him to Chelsea for about £40m with a sell-on clause agreed in 2025. That is textbook modern squad-building profit, and he left behind some genuinely electric moments, including scoring in the 2024 FA Cup final win.
Christian Eriksen
A free transfer who gave United control, craft, and a supply line into the forward line for three years, while also picking up the EFL Cup and FA Cup in his spell.
Noussair Mazraoui
Signed in August 2024, and whatever you think of United’s league form, he logged a huge workload and ended up a Europa League runner-up with the club in 2024–25.
Ayden Heaven
He’s an 18-year-old defender signed from Arsenal in February 2025, and by late 2025 he had already stacked meaningful Premier League minutes. Top ten signing is premature, but that he could be a problem for opponents for the next decade is not.
FAQs
Why are some players with more talent not included?
Because talent without consistent United output is just potential. This list rewards what happened in the shirt.
Do trophies matter too much here?
They matter a lot, but they are not everything. Cavani is included without trophies because his performance level and match-winning moments were undeniable.
Will Mbeumo and Cunha move up this list?
They absolutely can. Their early numbers are promising, but longevity and big-game résumé are what separate a good start a from an era-defining signing.
By Nicky Helfgott – NickyHelfgott1 on X (Twitter)
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