Manchester United's best ever signings
Who have been the greatest transfer acquisitions in Manchester United's history?
The biggest club in world football, Manchester United have signed a whole host of fine players throughout their long and successful history.
From bargain talent plucked out of the lower leagues, to record-breaking acquisitions, there's been some exceptional transfer business done by the Red Devils over the years.
Here, FourFourTwo gives you the rundown of the 32 best Manchester United signings of all time.
32. Johnny Carey
Signed from Guinness brewery works team St. James Gate in 1936 for £250, Johnny Carey became the first Irish player to win a major trophy with Manchester United: the FA Cup in 1948 – as skipper, no less.
The right-back – who won the 1949 FWA Football of the Year award – later went on to captain United to the 1951/52 First Division title, their first since the Second World War – the conflict which had stopped Carey from potentially having a far more illustrious Old Trafford career.
31. Tony Dunne
Another Irish star of the 20th century, left-back Tony Dunne joined Manchester United from Shelbourne for £5,000 in April 1960 – and went on to win four major trophies at Old Trafford.
As well as helping Matt Busby's Red Devils to two First Division titles and FA Cup, Dunne starred in the club's first ever European Cup success in 1967/68 – starting the move which led to Bobby Charlton's opening goal in the final against Benfica.
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30. Teddy Sheringham
Golden Boot winner in the inaugural Premier League season of 1992/93, Teddy Sheringham arrived at Manchester United in June 1997 – having scored almost 100 goals in five years with Tottenham.
Brought in to replace the retired Eric Cantona, Sheringham ensured iconic status among United fans by scoring the equaliser in the Red Devils' dramatic, treble-clinching 1999 Champions League final comeback against Bayern Munich.
29. Dwight Yorke
Dwight Yorke joined Manchester United from Aston Villa for £12.6m in the summer of 1998 – and went on to win the treble in his first season with Sir Alex Ferguson's side.
It wasn't a bad start to life at Old Trafford for the Trinidad and Tobago striker, who scored 52 goals across his first two campaigns with United – where he collected three Premier League winners medals.
28. Jaap Stam
Jaap Stam spent three seasons at Manchester United – and won the Premier League title in every single one of them, as well as the treble in 1998/99.
That Sir Alex Ferguson admitted the controversial decision to sell Stam to Lazio in 2001 was an error tells you just what a rock at the back the towering Dutch centre-half was – and how much more he might have contributed to the United cause.
27. Pat Crerand
Signed from Celtic in 1963, legendary Scottish right half Pat Crerand went on to win two First Division titles, the FA Cup and European Cup with Manchester United.
A fine passer of the ball with a pugnacious streak, teammate George Best once said of Crerand: "He's not a dirty player, but he's a case-hardened tough Scottish nut when it comes to a fight."
26. Martin Buchan
When Martin Buchan joined Manchester United from Aberdeen for £120,000 in February 1972, he became the club's record signing – and it proved to be money vert well spent.
The Scotland centre-back – who represented his country at two World Cups – helped United to FA Cup victory in 1976/77, having previously been a member of the side which won promotion back to the top flight at the first time of asking in 1974/75.
25. Antonio Valencia
He never seemed to smile on a football pitch, but Antonio Valencia must have thoroughly enjoyed playing for Manchester United to give them a decade of steadfast service.
Brought in from Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2019, the Ecuador winger-turned-right-back is regarded as one of his country's greatest players of all time – and helping United to their last two Premier League titles under Sir Alex Ferguson, before captaining the club in his final season at Old Trafford, certainly helped in that respect.
24. Paul Ince
One of the finest defensive midfielders of the early Premier League era, Paul Ince played a key role in Manchester United's 1992/93 and 1993/94 title triumphs – making 281 appearances during a six-year spell at Old Trafford.
A £1m acquisition from West Ham in 1989, The Guvnor had actually been pictured in a United shirt before his transfer was made official – inevitably attracting the ire of his former club's supporters.
23. David de Gea
So mistake-riddled were David de Gea's final years at Manchester United, it can be easy to forget that the Spaniard was one of the very best goalkeepers in the world for much of his time at Old Trafford.
Signed from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2011, De Gea – a 2012/13 Premier League champion and five-time Match of the Day Save of the Season winner – was United's joint longest-serving player by the time he left in 2023.
22. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
For the moment Ole Gunnar Solskjaer poked home Manchester United's 93rd-minute winner in their extraordinary 1999 Champions League final triumph over Bayern Munich, he was guaranteed eternal legendary status at Old Trafford.
The Norwegian poacher's ill-fated stint as manager between 2018 and 2021 did little to taint his legacy of 126 goals in 366 appearances for United – which included four after coming on as a 71st-minute substitute in an 8-1 win away to Nottingham Forest in February 1999.
21. Andy Cole
Manchester United broke the British transfer record with their surprise £7m swoop for Andy Cole in January 1995, bringing the striker to Old Trafford from Newcastle.
It didn't take long for Cole to live up to his price tag – he netted 12 times in 18 games between then and the end of the 1994/95 campaign – and, while he was never quite as prolific for United after that, he did score his fair share of vital goals as he helped them to five Premier League titles and the treble.
20. Steve Coppell
A boyhood Liverpool fan, Steve Coppell ended up becoming a legend at Manchester United – who he joined from Tranmere Rovers in 1975, at which time he was playing football part-time while studying economics at the University of Liverpool.
The move to Old Trafford proved to be life-changing for the tireless, technically gifted winger – who went on to win the 1976/77 FA Cup and earn 42 caps for England, appearing at the 1982 World Cup.
19. Patrice Evra
Patrice Evra established himself as one of the world's best left-backs during an eight-year stay at Manchester United, who won the race to sign the Frenchman in January 2006.
Evra was a mainstay of Sir Alex Ferguson's back four throughout his United career, regularly captaining the side (he was also France skipper during this time) and winning five Premier League titles – as well as the 2007/08 Champions League.
18. Michael Carrick
A metronomic presence in the Manchester United midfield for more than a decade, Michael Carrick arrived from Tottenham in the summer of 2006 – completing a £14m switch to Old Trafford.
Arguably one of the most underrated English players of the modern era, Carrick was pivotal to United's immense success during the late 2000s and early 2010s – during which time he helped the Red Devils to five league titles and Champions League glory.
17. Paul McGrath
Born in London, Republic of Ireland great Paul McGrath began his career with Dublin outfit St Patrick's Athletic – before joining Ron Atkinson's Manchester United in 1982.
One of a select few defenders to have been named PFA Players' Player of the Year, the centre-back made 203 appearances during an eight-year stint at Old Trafford – starring as United lifted the FA Cup in 1984/85.
16. Brian McClair
Humorously nicknamed Choccy (his surname sort of rhymes with 'eclair' – geddit?), Brian McClair is an undisputed Manchester United legend – winning eight major honours with the club, including their first four Premier League titles.
An £850,000 acquisition from Celtic in July 1987, the Scotland international amassed 471 appearances during an 11-year United career – scoring 127 goals, among them the winner in the 1992 League Cup final.
15. Nemanja Vidic
One of the finest centre-halves of all time, Nemanja Vidic spent eight (mostly) glorious years with Manchester United, who he joined from Spartak Moscow in January 2006.
The incredibly tough Serbian superstar made exactly 300 Red Devils appearances, winning the Champions League and five Premier League titles under Sir Alex Ferguson – and he belongs to a select group of players to be named Premier League Player of the Season more than once.
14. Edwin van der Sar
Manchester United bid farewell to Peter Schmeichel in 1999 – and they didn't find a goalkeeper on his level until they signed Edwin van der Sar from Fulham six years later.
Included in three PFA Premier League Teams of the Year during his six-year stay at Old Trafford, the giant Dutchman is widely considered to be one of the finest 'keepers of all time – and he's certainly one of the most decorated, claiming a Champions League and four Premier League winners medals with United.
13. Gary Pallister
Signed from Middlesbrough in August 1989, Gary Pallister's £2.3m move to Manchester United broke the British record for a defender.
The England centre-back would go on to form a famously robust partnership with Steve Bruce, starring in United's first four Premier League title-winning seasons – as well as helping the Red Devils to three FA Cups and the 1990/91 Cup Winners' Cup.
12. Tommy Taylor
Among the most prolific scorers in Manchester United's long history, Tommy Taylor chalked up 131 goals in 191 games for the Red Devils between 1953 and 1958 – when he was tragically killed in the Munich air disaster aged just 16.
The former Barnsley centre-forward's tale is an incredibly sad one of what might have been – and his exceptional record in front of goal provided more than a pretty good indication.
11. Steve Bruce
Gary Pallister's ever-reliable partner in the heart of Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United defence, Steve Bruce is one of the most popular players ever to pull on the famous red shirt.
Signed from Norwich City in December 1987, Bruce went on to feature 417 times for United, scoring 52 goals – including an abnormally prolific 19-goal campaign in 1990/91 – playing an integral role in the club's first three Premier League title triumphs and captaining them to the double in 1995/96.
10. Denis Irwin
A remarkably versatile player, the genuinely two-footed Denis Irwin was adept at either right-back or left-back – and he enjoyed enormous success with Manchester United.
Signed from Oldham Athletic for £650,000 in 1990, the Irishman – a renowned free-kick and penalty specialist – made 529 appearances for United, starring in their 1998/99 treble win – and picking up seven Premier League winners medals in all.
9. Ruud van Nistelrooy
Simply one of the most clinical strikers the game has ever seen, Ruud van Nistelrooy joined Manchester United in a club-record £18.5m move from PSV in the summer of 2000.
And the deadly Dutchman didn't need any time to adjust to the rigours of the Premier League: he notched 23 league goals in his first season as a United player, then 25 in his second – securing him the Golden Boot as the Red Devils clinched the title.
8. Cristiano Ronaldo
One season of first-team football for Sporting Lisbon was enough to convince Manchester United to cough up £12.4m for 18-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2004.
Within four years, the Portuguese icon had established himself as the best player on the planet, scooping the 2008 Ballon d'Or – and he left United for Real Madrid in 2009 having bagged 118 goals in 292 appearances, winning three Premier League titles and the Champions League (among other honours).
7. Rio Ferdinand
In a trophy-laden 12-year spell at Manchester United, Rio Ferdinand firmly established himself as one of the greatest English players of all time.
Included in no fewer than five PFA Premier League Teams of the Year during his time at Old Trafford, Ferdinand excelled as one of the first 'modern', ball-playing centre-backs his country had produced – and his elite ability on that front was integral to United winning six Premier League titles with him at the club, as well as the 2007/08 Champions League.
6. Roy Keane
The hardest player of the Premier League era? There's no denying that Roy Keane is right up there – and who are we to question the man who captained Manchester United to their historic 1998/99 treble?
Named by Pele in his 2004 FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living footballers, the legendary Irish midfielder joined United from Nottingham Forest in 1993 for £3.75m – a British record at the time – and went on to feature 480 times for the club, scoring 51 goals.
5. Peter Schmeichel
Perhaps Manchester United's best ever goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel arrived at Old Trafford in 1991 – joining from Danish club Brondby for £505,000.
Sir Alex Ferguson later described that deal as the "bargain of the century" – and he was hardly exaggerating: a colossus between the sticks, Schmeichel was arguably the finest shot-stopper on the planet in the early 90s, and he was crucial to United's frequent success throughout the decade – ending his eight-year stay at the club by cartwheeling in celebration at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's 1999 Champions League final winner.
4. Wayne Rooney
When Wayne Rooney hit a hat-trick on his Manchester United debut against Fenerbahce in the Champions League, no one was surprised: it had already been clear for some time that the prodigious talent who, in joining from Everton for £20m, had just become the world's most expensive teenager was destined for superstardom.
A total of 559 appearances and 253 goals later – including possibly the goal of the Premier League era, that 2011 overhead kick against Manchester City – Rooney left Old Trafford having won it all, and with his place as one of United's greatest players of all time well and truly ensured.
3. Eric Cantona
The first continental European superstar of the Premier League era, Eric Cantona remains one of the very best players ever to grace the competition – in which he made 143 appearances for Manchester United in a short but truly stunning spell at Old Trafford.
When the great French entertainer – who joined United from bitter rivals Leeds United for £1m in 1991 – retired in 1997 aged only 30, he did so at the top of his game (and having made the upturned shirt collar a fashion statement, of course) – after playing an inspirational part in four Premier League title wins and two FA Cup triumphs under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Even that kung-fu kick at Selhurst Park in 1995 can't take away his rock-solid standing as one of the greatest players ever to pull on a Manchester United shirt.
2. Denis Law
Given that he had previously played for Manchester City, it's rather remarkable that Denis Law was such a legend for Manchester United that a statue of him (alongside his late teammates Sir Bobby Charlton and George Best) stands outside Old Trafford.
But that's just testament to the mark The Lawman – a British-record signing from Huddersfield Town in 1962 – made during his 11 years with United, where he amassed 237 goals, winning two First Division titles and the European Cup (plus the 1964 Ballon d'Or).
1. Bryan Robson
Justifiably nicknamed Captain Marvel, legendary ex-Manchester United skipper Bryan Robson has previously been voted as the club's greatest ever player – and, as you can tell by this list, the former England midfielder has had no shortage of competition in that regard.
But Robson – a British-record £1.5m signing from West Brom in October 1981 – really was marvellous, taking the captain's armband the following year and wearing it until his departure in 1994.
Robson scored 100 goals in 465 appearances for the Red Devils, leading Sir Alex Ferguson's side to their first two Premier League crowns, as well an FA Cup (in addition to two under Ron Atkinson), League Cup and Cup Winners' Cup.
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Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
