A current United player has drained the club of nearly £100m since arriving in Manchester.
Manchester United’s recent defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League saw them enter the international break occupying 11th spot in the league table, already six points behind Manchester City.
Erik ten Hag would have been hoping the momentum that was gathered during the final few months of the 2022/23 campaign, which saw the Red Devils win their first piece of silverware in six years combined with Champions League qualification, was going to enable them to begin the current season in a productive manner.
The Old Trafford side made seven new signings during the summer transfer window, bringing in Andre Onana, Mason Mount, Rasmus Hojlund, Jonny Evans, Altay Bayindir, Sofyan Amrabat and Sergio Reguilon, and it’s fair to say it wasn’t quite the window many of the supporters were anticipating.
Only Onana has made an impact thus far, with Mount playing only twice and Hojlund making his first appearance against Arsenal. Ten Hag will be hoping it is money well spent following years of big-money signings letting the club down.
One name that immediately springs to mind is Jadon Sancho, who has endured a poor start to the current campaign and has failed to live up to the staggering amount that United shelled out on him just two years ago.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signed the winger in the summer of 2021 for a fee in the region of £73m and this was a lot of pressure to heap on a player who was only 21-years-old.
That pressure and expectancy were likely only heightened by the reported £250k-per-week wage that the fleet-footed trickster has been on since his arrival two years ago, according to Capology.
The youngster has been at the club for a total of 111 weeks and during that time, he has roughly earned an eye-watering £26m in wages alone at United.
Combine this with his transfer fee of £73m and Sancho has already cost the Old Trafford side just shy of £100m at £99m and judging by his form for the club since arriving, this has turned out to be a colossal waste of money.
The winger has a contract until 2026, meaning he still has three years to continue rinsing the club unless they move him on.
The Englishman had emerged as one of the most talented youngsters on the continent during his spell at Borussia Dortmund, registering an impressive 114 goal contributions – 50 goals and 64 assists – across just 137 games for the club, winning the German cup too in what was a highly productive four-season spell.
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