I played for Sir Alex Ferguson - he would never have signed Man Utd flop

Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson (Picture: Getty)

Louis Saha says his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson would ‘never’ have signed one of Manchester United ’s biggest transfer flops.

It is not just tactics and player management that make Ferguson arguably the greatest manager of all time but also his astute work in the transfer market.

Ferguson led United to a staggering 13 Premier League titles, while the Red Devils also won two Champions Leagues, five FA Cups and four League Cups during the Scot’s 26-year reign.

Manchester United were one of the most successful clubs in the world under Fergie but it has been a different story since his retirement in 2013, with United failing to win a single league title in the last decade.

Underwhelming performances on the pitch have been compounded by a series of poor transfer decisions, with United spending almost £2bn on signings in the post-Ferguson era.

Manchester United’s fourth-most expensive signing of all time, Jadon Sancho , made just 83 appearances for the club before continuously being sent out on loan.

Sancho, who is still on the books at Old Trafford , is viewed as one of United’s biggest transfer mistakes and Saha says Ferguson would ‘never’ have made such an error.

Manchester United transfer flop Jadon Sancho (Picture: Getty)

Asked how Fergie would have ‘got the best’ out of Sancho, ex-United striker Saha told Pundit Arena : ‘Honestly, I don’t think Alex Ferguson would have wanted to sign him.

‘I think he knew that the best way to deal with players of Sancho’s profile is to never sign them. I think that’s where Man United went wrong in the market since Sir Alex left.

‘One of the essential things to do for any transfer is to do your homework before you sign a player. You need to know the character of a player before you even try to sign him.

‘Ferguson would always chase information on a transfer target before he signed them. I don’t think that has been happening much at United.

Ex-Manchester United striker Louis Saha (Picture: Getty)

‘You will always make the odd mistake in the market even if you do that work, but it’s happened so often at United with recent signings that it has became a real problem.

‘It doesn’t just hurt United. For some of the players who have ended up at the club and failed to perform, it hurts their career too.

‘If Sir Alex had looked at the player, he would not have wanted to sign Sancho from the off. If you picture a scenario where Fergie signs him, the environment at the club would have helped.

‘Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra, each of them would have been able to offer words of warning, or encouragement, to bring him along in the manner that players were expected to behave.

Sancho is currently on loan at Aston Villa (Picture: Getty)

‘In recent times at United, it seems there were no boundaries, and it was easier to break the rules. That’s obviously changing under Amorim.

‘When I was there it didn’t matter if you were talented, if you were from another country, whatever. You had to meet the standards of the club. Those foundations disappeared.’

Sancho first fell out of favour at Manchester United under Erik ten Hag , spending the second-half of the 2023-24 season on loan at Borussia Dortmund after a bust-up with the Dutch boss .

Chelsea agreed to sign Sancho on a permanent transfer when he was sent on loan to Stamford Bridge last season but the Blues then paid a £5m penalty to cancel the agreement at the end of the campaign .

Despite his struggles since a £73m move from Dortmund in 2021, top clubs have continued to show interest in Sancho and he joined Aston Villa on another loan deal at the start of the season .

But the 25-year-old has struggled to make an impact for Unai Emery’s surprise title challengers and is yet to score or assist in 13 appearances, eight of which have come from the bench.

Sancho’s miserable spell at Manchester United will finally come to an end next summer upon the expiry of his contract, though his next destination is far from clear.