9 Players Manchester United Have Totally Wasted Since 2013

Since Manchester United's last Premier League title win in 2013, things have spiralled out of control for the Red Devils.


They haven't returned to the top of English football since and have endured years of unrest and negativity surrounding the club, while Ed Woodward has made a bunch of clangers regarding transfers.


The five managers who have sat in the hot seat since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down have all tried to implement their own philosophies using their own players, but none have been able to restore Manchester United back into the dominant force they once were. 

Ed Woodward

In that time there have been a number of players who have arrived at the club on top of their game, but for one reason or another have seen their careers decline and their confidence shattered.


So with that being said, here are nine players whose talents were totally wasted at Manchester United since 2013..


Memphis Depay

Wayne Rooney,Memphis Depay

Much was made of 21-year-old Memphis Depay when he arrived at Old Trafford in 2015 for a fee of £25m. Many clubs - including Arsenal and Liverpool - had come in for the young forward but it was United who won the race for his signature, with the club even awarding him the iconic number seven shirt.

Unfortunately he never hit the heights that were originally expected of him. Depay said he had to leave after not getting enough games, but some onlookers claimed his flashy lifestyle got in the way of him fulfilling his potential. 

In his second and final season with United the Dutchman managed just four Premier League appearances before falling completely out of favour with Louis van Gaal. He then secured a move away to Lyon in January 2017 for a cut price where he is now thriving in new surroundings.


Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez

Manchester United fans thought they'd struck gold when it was announced Alexis Sanchez signed for the Red Devils in a swap deal which saw an out of favour Henrikh Mkhitaryan go the other way to Arsenal.

Unfortunately, Sanchez looks to have taken a step in the wrong direction, having struggled to make an impact with his new club. This season, he managed just one goal in 20 Premier League appearances and has looked a shadow of the player he once was at Arsenal.

Injury setbacks haven't helped the Chilean, but his form certainly hasn't warranted a place in the starting lineup with his poor performances also coinciding with United's struggles on the pitch. He'll need to improve significantly if he is to win the fans over.


Angel Di Maria

FBL-ENG-PR-MAN UTD-ASTON VILLA

He arrived at Old Trafford just three months after being named man of the match in Real Madrid's 4-1 Champions League final win over Atletico Madrid in 2014, but just couldn't adapt to his new surroundings following his £59.7m move.

He showed some signs of brilliance early on - including an audacious chip during a defeat at Leicester - but things never got going for the Argentine in the second half of the season, and was subsequently sold to PSG a shadow of the player he was when he first arrived at the club.

He's gone on to have domestic success in the French capital, although within the space of one season at Manchester United he went from being at the pinnacle of European football to becoming deadwood at Old Trafford.


Wilfried Zaha

Wilfried Zaha

A 21-year-old with blistering pace and a box of tricks, it was a no brainer when Sir Alex Ferguson decided to spend £10m on Wilfried Zaha in 2013 with the hope of him become the next big thing at Old Trafford.

He was loaned back out to Crystal Palace for his first season, and by the time he returned to United they had a new man at the helm in David Moyes. He made just four appearances for the Red Devils before being loaned out to Cardiff City.

Following his spell with Cardiff he was then loaned back to his former club Palace, before they made the deal permanent in January 2015. He has since rediscovered his form and may even get another big move, but United certainly didn't help his development at all.


Romelu Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku

In the 2016/17 Premier League season United finished sixth having scored just 54 goals in 38 games. They were in desperate need of a goalscorer, so when they signed the league's second-top scorer in Romelu Lukaku for £75m fans were understandably excited at the prospect of him leading the line.

In fairness to the Belgian his goalscoring record in the two seasons he's been at Old Trafford hasn't been terrible, but he's recently fallen down the pecking order under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and has had to settle for a bench role for a large part of the campaign - managing just 22 starts this season.

He still has plenty of time to rectify this and certainly has all the attributes to be one of the top strikers in the Premier League, but he needs to get his confidence back to what it was when he first moved to the club.


Nemanja Matic

Nemanja Matic

Many believed it was Nemanja Matic who was the main reason Chelsea won the 2016/17 Premier League title, so it came as a huge shock when the Blues sold the Serbia international to league rivals United for just £40m.

He was brought in to transform the United midfield, but things haven't panned out the way he and the club would've hoped for. Two seasons later and he still hasn't quite found his feet at Old Trafford, struggling to find the form which earned him the move to United in the first place.

Again, the Red Devils have somehow managed to turn one of the Premier League's most dominant midfielders into a relatively uninfluential figure during games.


Matteo Darmian

Matteo Darmian

When United signed Matteo Darmian from Torino, Marco Materazzi labelled him as Italy's next best full back. He came up through the youth ranks at Milan, meaning he was playing with the likes of Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta in trainingwhen he was still a youngster, before making the move to Torino.

By the time he was 25 years old, he'd already racked up over 150 appearances for the Serie A club, which caught the eye of United. They snapped him up, but things just haven't worked out.

He's been pushed out of the team by Ashley Young - of all people - and doesn't look like working his way into Solskjaer's plans any time soon.


Daley Blind

Ander Herrera,Daley Blind

Louis van Gaal brought Dutch defender Daley Blind to United with him after a fantastic 2014 World Cup campaign with the Netherlands.

He arrived at the club having won four successive Eredivisie titles with Ajax at the age of just 25. But once again, he failed to live up to his potential with Manchester United. He was a useful player, but never established himself as a regular starter.

He was sold back to Ajax in 2018, and since leaving Old Trafford has gone on to win another Eredivisie title and reach the semi finals of the Champions League, playing an experienced role in a promising young side. Nobody would've expected it from Blind, with many assuming his career was all-but over after his struggles at United.


Sergio Romero

Sergio Romero

He arrived at United from Sampdoria as Argentina's first choice goalkeeper but Romero has never been able to establish himself as the starting shot stopper at Old Trafford.

In fairness, the man keeping him on the bench is arguably the world's best goalkeeper in David de Gea, with Romero seemingly content on being United's goalkeeper for the cup games. 

He's had opportunities to leave in recent seasons but has instead opted to stay put, which has in turn had a bad effect on his playing career, having made just seven Premier League appearances in four seasons.


Source : 90min