Manchester: Anderson and Wilfried Zaha – one of the last signings by Sir Alex Ferguson – have left Manchester United.
It was said that Sir Alex could not go wrong. But going by the recent turn of events, let’s look back at the five worst signings every by the celebrated manager during his time.
Massimo Taibi (£4.5m) - August 1999 - July 2000
Appearances: 4
Ferguson faced the toughest time of his career when he could not find a replacement for Peter Schmeichel. Taibi – remembered for his dreadful error against Southampton in 1999 and conceding five goals against Chelsea – was the worst ever he could think of.
Juan Sebastian Veron (£28.1m) July 2001 - August 2003
Appearances: 82, Goals: 11
Though he scored 11 goals, he could never really adjust to English football. Ferguson thought he would make the unit stronger on midfield with his gutsy persona but he happened to disbalance the combination. Veron failed to gel with Roy Keane and Paul Scholes too.
(Photo: AP)
David Bellion (£3m) July 2003 - May 2006
Appearances: 40, Goals: 8
When he came, he was compared with Thierry Henry. He took it too seriously. The club signed the Frenchman from Sunderland in 2003 on a Bosman before paying £3m in compensation. Later, Bellion joined Bordeaux.
(Photo: Screenshot)
Zoran Tosic (£7million) January 2009 - June 2010
Appearances: 4, Goals: 0
As a long term replacement for Ryan Giggs, Ferguson paid £7m on this Serbian winger in 2009. He could not shine for the Red Devils and later, was out on loan to Cologne before moving to CSKA Moscow. The fee? It remained undisclosed.
Zoran Tosic (L) (Photo: AP)
Bebe (£7m) - August 2010 - July 2014
Appearances: 7, Goals: 1
Ferguson fought with La Liga giants Real Madrid to sign Bebe. He did not even watch him play or see any footage, such was his confidence. Even Bebe thought the manager was joking. He warmed the bench for four years with only seven appearances.
