Ranking every player Erik ten Hag signed for Man Utd from WORST to BEST

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has finally been shown the door after a woeful start to the new season and TT has taken a look at his worst and best signings during his Old Trafford tenure.

Since joining United from Ajax in 2022, Ten Hag was heavily backed in the transfer market as the club allowed him to spend over £60omillion on new players.

But, after Sunday’s loss at West Ham and a worst-ever start to a Premier League season, United have pulled the plug on Ten Hag and it’s fair to say that a lot of his signings have failed to live up to expectations.

We’ve taken a look at every signing the Dutchman made at United, ranking them from worst to best. Note: we’ve not included the likes of Sekou Kone and Chido Obi-Martin, who will initially play for the youth teams.

21. Antony

One of six former Ajax players on this list, Antony became the second-most expensive signing in United’s history when he joined the club in a deal worth an initial £80.75million and another £4.25million in add-ons.

The 24-year-old winger has failed to justify that huge fee, registering just 12 goals and five assists in 87 appearances in all competitions.

He is currently behind Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo in the pecking order at Old Trafford and may go down as one of the worst signings in Premier League history.

20. Mason Mount

United forked out an initial £55million and another £5million in add-ons to sign Mount from Chelsea and also gave him the No.7 shirt in the summer of 2023.

But he has endured an injury-plagued start to his United career, making just 11 starts and 14 substitute appearances in all competitions.

Even when fit, the 25-year-old midfielder has struggled to get into the team ahead of United captain Bruno Fernandes.

19. Jack Butland

Butland joined United on loan from Crystal Palace in January 2023 but didn’t make a single first-team appearance during his six-month stint at Old Trafford.

18. Martin Dubravka

Dubravka completed a season-long loan move to United in September 2022 and acted as a back-up to Andre Onana, making two appearances in League Cup wins over Aston Villa and Burnley.

The goalkeeper rejoined Newcastle in January 2023 but still received a League Cup winner’s medal after United beat the Magpies in the final.

17. Sergio Reguilon

Following injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia at the start of the 2023/24 season, United needed a new left-back and they signed Reguilon from Tottenham on a season-long loan deal.

The Spain international made just 12 appearances for United and the loan deal was terminated in the January transfer window.

16. Altay Bayindir 

The third back-up goalkeeper on this list, Bayindir completed a £4.3million move to United on transfer deadline day in the summer of 2023.

He is yet to make his Premier League debut but has made two appearances for United in the domestic cup competitions.

15. Marcel Sabitzer

After Christian Eriksen suffered an ankle injury in January 2023, United signed Sabitzer from Bayern Munich on a six-month loan deal.

The midfielder scored three goals in 18 appearances but didn’t make a lasting impact at United, who decided not to turn the loan move into a permanent deal.

⚽️⚽️ When Sabitzer went all out in attack…@ManUtd || #UEL pic.twitter.com/uduOnTkC6A

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) July 25, 2023

14. Manuel Ugarte

The most recent addition to this list, Ugarte joined United from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth an initial £42.1million and another £8.4million in potential add-ons.

It’s still early days for the Uruguay international, but he was criticised for his sluggish display in the 3-0 defeat against Tottenham and has since been dropped.

13. Sofyan Amrabat

Amrabat played under Ten Hag at FC Utrecht and reunited with the manager in September 2023 by moving to United on a season-long loan deal.

The Morocco international struggled to adapt to the intensity of the Premier League and made just 10 starts in the competition.

He finished the season with a brilliant performance against Manchester City in the 2024 FA Cup final but it wasn’t enough to secure a permanent deal at Old Trafford.

12. Joshua Zirkzee

Zirkzee joined United from Bologna in a £36.5million deal in the summer and marked his Premier League debut with a winning goal against Fulham at Old Trafford.

But the striker has offered little since then, failing to find the back of the net in his last 12 appearances in all competitions.

“Zirkzee… what is he? Is he a No.9 or a No.10? Is he going to get you 20 goals? I don’t think so,” former United midfielder Paul Scholes said.

11. Wout Weghorst

Eyebrows were raised in January 2023 when United agreed a loan deal to sign Weghorst, who had scored just two goals in 20 appearances for Burnley in 2021/22.

The striker also struggled in front of goal in his six-month stint at Old Trafford, but he registered an assist in the 2023 League Cup final win and endeared himself to the fans with his work rate.

10. Tyrell Malacia

The first signing of the Ten Hag era, Malacia joined United from Feyenoord in a £12million deal in the summer of 2022 and made 39 appearances in 2022/23.

He showed a lot of promise in his first year at Old Trafford, but the left-back missed the entire 2023/24 season with a knee injury and has only just returned to first-team training.

9. Matthijs de Ligt

Ten Hag allowed Raphael Varane to leave United at the end of the 2023/24 season and then signed De Ligt, who played under the manager at Ajax.

The centre-back has made a mixed start to his United career, producing a Man of the Match display against Southampton before struggling against Tottenham and Porto. He also gave away the controversial penalty at West Ham that ultimately ended Ten Hag’s tenure.

8. Casemiro

After failing to sign Frenkie de Jong in the summer of 2022, United switched their attention to Casemiro and agreed to pay Real Madrid an initial £60million for the then-30-year-old.

He initially impressed and scored the opener in United’s 2-0 win over Newcastle in the 2023 League Cup final, ending their six-year trophy drought.

But everything went downhill from there and the Brazil international has looked a shadow of his former self in the last 18 months.

🇧🇷 @Casemiro got the ball rolling for @ManUtd! ⚽️#EFL | #CarabaoCupFinal pic.twitter.com/edydCPeoQG

— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) February 27, 2023

7. Leny Yoro

United fought off competition from Real Madrid to sign Yoro from Lille in the summer and they made him one of the most expensive teenagers of all time.

The 18-year-old centre-back is currently out injured and never made a competitive appearance for United under Ten Hag, although he is widely regarded as one of the best young defenders in the world.

6. Noussair Mazraoui

Ten Hag replaced Aaron Wan-Bissaka by signing Mazraoui from Bayern Munich in a deal worth an initial £12.8million and another £4.3million in potential add-ons.

The right-back has seamlessly slotted into the United side at the start of the 2024/25 season and the transfer fee is already looking like a bargain.

5. Andre Onana

Having worked with Onana at Ajax, Ten Hag identified the Cameroon international as the ideal replacement for David de Gea and United paid £47.2million to secure his signature in the summer of 2023.

The goalkeeper made several high-profile mistakes at the start of his United career, costing his side a place in the knockout stage of the Champions League.

But he finished the 2023/24 season with more saves than any other Premier League goalkeeper and has also made a very strong start to the current campaign.

Andre Onana with a ridiculous double save to keep the scores level 😳🧤 pic.twitter.com/HDWexFk17i

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 21, 2024

4. Christian Eriksen

Eriksen joined United on a free transfer in the summer of 2022 following the expiration of his six-month contract with Brentford.

The Denmark international formed an impressive midfield partnership with Casemiro and registered 10 assists in 28 appearances in his debut season.

Kobbie Mainoo’s emergence pushed him down the pecking order in the 2023/24 season, but the 32-year-old can still produce moments of real quality.

3. Rasmus Hojlund

After a move for Harry Kane proved too expensive, United signed Hojlund from Atalanta in 2023 in a deal worth an initial £64million and another £8million in add-ons.

The Denmark international finished his debut season with 16 goals in all competitions, including five in the Champions League group stages.

At the age of 21, there’s still plenty of room for improvement and he could develop into a world-class striker in the future.

2. Jonny Evans

A United academy graduate, Evans rejoined the club on a free transfer in the summer of 2023 and stepped up during their injury crisis.

The 36-year-old centre-back made 30 appearances in all competitions in the 2023/24 season and barely put a foot wrong.

He did enough to earn a one-year contract extension and has continued to impress, producing a Man of the Match performance in the 0-0 draw with Aston Villa.

1. Lisandro Martinez

Martinez followed Ten Hag to United in the summer of 2022 and enjoyed a brilliant debut season, establishing himself as one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League.

The Argentina international missed most of the 2023/24 season with injury problems, but he returned for the 2024 FA Cup final and impressed alongside Raphael Varane as United beat City 2-1.

“Lisandro Martinez is top five centre-backs in the world,” Pep Guardiola said after the final. “He made the difference on this game by playing passes through our defence.”

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