Manchester United's Best Signings of the Premier League Era – Ranked

Manchester United have had some of the Premier League’s best ever players since the competition started in 1992, with many of those actually home-grown from the club’s own youth ranks.

But it has also taken a sharp eye in the transfer market to bring plenty of stars into the club, whether they unpolished gems, raw teenagers or established names.

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Taking into account every player who has joined the club since the end of the 1991/92 season – the last year of the old First Division – here’s a look at Manchester United’s best 25 signings of the Premier League era – ranked…

*denotes an active player – appearances and goals accurate as of date of publication

25. Mikael Silvestre

United Career: 1999 - 2008

Appearances: 361

Goals: 10

Honours: Premier League (x4), FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, Intercontinental Cup

Although perhaps easily forgettable now, Mikael Silvestre was a key part of United’s success from his arrival in 1999 and into the early 2000s. At just £4m, he was a bargain.

The four-time Premier League champion, who remained at Old Trafford until 2008, was initially a left-back, replacing Sir Alex Ferguson favourite Denis Irwin. He then transitioned into the heart of defence and struck up a fine partnership with Rio Ferdinand.

24. Bruno Fernandes

United Career: 2020 - present

Appearances: 17*

Goals: 8*

Honours: None

Bruno Fernandes is still at the very beginning of his United career, yet the Portuguese playmaker can already be considered one of the best signings the club has made in the Premier League era.

Fernandes’ impact on the whole squad upon arriving from Sporting CP was truly astonishing, lifting the club from what seriously threatened to be the worst season in 30 years to the cusp of becoming a genuine Premier League title challenger again.

23. Anthony Martial

United Career: 2015 - present

Appearances: 216*

Goals: 70*

Honours: FA Cup, League Cup, Europa League

United bought potential when they signed a teenage Anthony Martial seemingly out of the blue at the end of the 2015 summer transfer window.

The young Frenchman was an immediate success leading the line in a depleted squad. And while he was later pushed into the shadows by others, he is now firing on all cylinders once more and finally looks likely to realise all that promise he had at 19.

22. Antonio Valencia

United Career: 2009 - 2019

Appearances: 339

Goals: 25

Honours: Premier League (x2), FA Cup, League Cup (x2), Europa League, PFA Team of the Year, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year

There were two distinct halves of Antonio Valencia’s 10-year United career, firstly as a flying winger and secondly as a converted full-back and eventual club captain.

The Ecuadorean immediately made the step up from Wigan when he arrived in 2009 and was named in the PFA Team of the Year in his debut season. He then recovered from a broken leg to win the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award in 2011/12 and played well over 300 times overall.

21. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

United Career: 2016 - 2018

Appearances: 53

Goals: 29

Honours: League Cup, Europa League

It was a case of short and sweet from Zlatan Ibrahimovic during an 18-month stint at Old Trafford, having arrived as a free agent only a few months before turning 35.

The veteran Swede captured the imagination of United fans and proved to his longstanding doubters that he was cut out for the Premier League. Serious injury cruelly curtailed his first season and ensured that his second would be as a bit-part player until leaving.

20. Javier Hernandez

United Career: 2010 - 2015

Appearances: 157

Goals: 59

Honours: Premier League (x2), Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year

Scoring on his debut against Chelsea in the Community Shield by inadvertently kicking the ball into his own face quickly set Javier Hernandez up as a United cult hero and fan favourite.

Chicharito, who shone at the 2010 World Cup within weeks of agreeing his Old Trafford move, was rarely a regular starter but could always be relied upon for a goal. He netted 20 times in his debut season alone and got another 18 during the 2012/13 campaign.

19. Park Ji-sung

United Career: 2005 - 2012

Appearances: 205

Goals: 27

Honours: Premier League (x4), League Cup (x3), Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup

Park Ji-sung was the ultimate big game player during United’s dominance of the late 2000s, a player Sir Alex Ferguson always trusted to face the club’s fiercest rivals.

Previously a star of South Korea’s 2002 World Cup fairytale, Park became a cult hero among United fans for his tireless running, earning him the nickname ‘Three Lungs’. His versatility and self-less style of player also allowed others to thrive around him.

18. Nani

United Career: 2007 - 2015

Appearances: 230

Goals: 40

Honours: Premier League (x4), League Cup (x2), Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup

Nani often got a raw deal from fans and media during his United career because as a Portuguese winger he was instantly compared to Cristiano Ronaldo and obviously fell short.

But the former Sporting CP talent was still a special talent in his own right and had the ability to be a gamechanger. He was at his best when United broke Liverpool’s record for league titles in 2010/11 and was even nominated for the 2011 Ballon d’Or as a result.

17. Robin van Persie

United Career: 2012 - 2015

Appearances: 108

Goals: 58

Honours: Premier League, Premier League Golden Boot, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year, PFA Team of the Year

United bought Robin van Persie for one purpose only, to wrestle back the Premier League title from Manchester City. He scored 26 in the league in 2012/13 and United romped to victory.

The Dutchman left Arsenal in search of Premier League glory and was rewarded. He had struggled with injuries earlier in his career and later missed games for United as a result of further fitness issues, but that first season was the stuff of legend.

16. Teddy Sheringham

United Career: 1997 - 2001

Appearances: 153

Goals: 46

Honours: Premier League (x3), FA Cup, Champions League, Intercontinental Cup, PFA Players’ Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year, PFA Team of the Year

Teddy Sheringham didn’t arrive at United until the age of 31 and only reached double figures in the Premier League once for the club, but he brought something special and a different kind of quality, playing game-changing roles in the FA Cup final and Champions League final in 1999.

It is a testament to his longevity that Sheringham enjoyed his best season as a United player, scoring 21 times in all competitions and sweeping the individual awards, aged 34 in 2000/01.

15. Dwight Yorke

United Career: 1998 - 2002

Appearances: 152

Goals: 65

Honours: Premier League (x3), FA Cup, Champions League, Intercontinental Cup, Premier League Golden Boot, Premier League Player of the Season, PFA Team of the Year

Dwight Yorke was the final piece of the puzzle ahead of United’s treble season in 1998/99, a £12.6m buy from Aston Villa. He had regularly performed well against the club in the past.

Gary Neville has admitted that Yorke, who went on to score 29 goals in all competition on the way to the treble, actually initially surprised his teammates with his quality. He was the club’s top scorer again in 1999/00 as United walked to the Premier League title.

14. David de Gea

United Career: 2011 - present

Appearances: 401*

Goals: 0*

Honours: Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Europa League, Premier League Golden Glove, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year (x4), PFA Team of the Year (x5)

United gambled when they opted to install a 20-year-old David de Gea as new number one goalkeeper in 2011. But goalkeeping coach Eric Steele had already been watching the young Spaniard for years and was confident the club had made the right choice.

Despite a difficult start to his United career, De Gea soon became one of the best goalkeepers in the world and has already surpassed 400 games for the club before the age of 30.

13. Jaap Stam

United Career: 1998 - 2001

Appearances: 127

Goals: 1

Honours: Premier League (x3), FA Cup, Champions League, Intercontinental Cup, PFA Team of the Year (x3)

In a way, Jaap Stam was the perfect signing. The Dutchman provided the defensive strength the 1998/99 treble success was built on, won the Premier League in each of his three full seasons at Old Trafford and was sold for a profit when injuries began to limit his impact.

United initially struggled to replace Stam and his departure was arguably one of the contributing factors to the club falling to third in the 2001/02 season.

12. Michael Carrick

United Career: 2006 - 2018

Appearances: 464

Goals: 24

Honours: Premier League (x5), FA Cup, League Cup (x2), Champions League, Europa League, FIFA Club World Cup, PFA Team of the Year

Michael Carrick was always an underrated part of United’s concentrated period of success in the late 2000s, a player whose arrival in the summer of 2006 coincided with the club’s first Premier League title in four years following a mini drought earlier in the decade.

Carrick operated as a deep-lying playmaker for United and his vision and passing ability often allowed him to dictate games and provide more explosive teammates a platform to perform.

11. Andrew Cole

United Career: 1995 - 2002

Appearances: 275

Goals: 121

Honours: Premier League (x5), FA Cup (x2), Champions League, Intercontinental Cup, PFA Team of the Year

United broke the British transfer record to sign Andrew Cole in January 1995 in a £7m deal that also included winger Keith Gillespie heading to Newcastle in part-exchange.

Very early in his United career, Cole became the first player to score five goals in a Premier League game during a record 9-0 thrashing of Ipswich, while he remained a constant source of goals until he eventually left in 2001. Few in the Premier League era have scored more for the club.

10. Ruud van Nistelrooy

United Career: 2001 - 2006

Appearances: 219

Goals: 150

Honours: Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Premier League Golden Boot, PFA Players’ Player of the Year, Premier League Player of the Season, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year (x2), PFA Team of the Year (x2)

The memory of Ruud van Nistelrooy as a United player was arguably pushed to one side by the enormous success the club enjoyed in the seasons following his 2006 exit. But his goal record over five years at Old Trafford was truly phenomenal.

The Dutchman averaged 30 goals a season in all competitions, even reaching 44 at his very best in 2002/03. In United history, only Denis Law has ever scored more in a single campaign.

9. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

United Career: 1996 - 2007

Appearances: 366

Goals: 126

Honours: Premier League (x6), FA Cup (x2), Champions League, Intercontinental Cup

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was so much more for United than the player who scored the winner in the 1999 Champions League final. The Norwegian was an invaluable squad player whose lack of ego was arguably the basis of his success.

Solskjaer was top scorer in his first season at Old Trafford and perhaps would have played far more than he did had injuries not cost him more than two-and-a-half years of his career later on

8. Edwin van der Sar

United Career: 2005 - 2011

Appearances: 266

Goals: 0

Honours: Premier League (x4), League Cup, Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, Premier League Golden Glove, PFA Team of the Year (x3)

There is an argument to suggest that United should have gone straight for Edwin van der Sar in 1999 when Peter Schmeichel decided to leave. In the end, the club went through numerous failed replacements for the Dane before landing on Van der Sar in 2005.

Given his age at the time, the 34-year-old, bought from Fulham for just £2m, might have been expected to be a short-term solution, yet he stayed for six exceptional seasons.

7. Patrice Evra

United Career: 2006 - 2014

Appearances: 379

Goals: 10

Honours: Premier League (x5), League Cup (x3), Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, PFA Team of the Year (x3)

Infamously substituted at half-time on a nightmare debut in the Manchester derby, Patrice Evra soon settled at United and thrived in the intense pace and physicality of English football.

By the start of the 2007/08 season in which the club completed a Premier League and Champions League double, the Frenchman was an automatic starter at left-back and hardly missed a game until he left the club for Juventus in 2014.

6. Rio Ferdinand

United Career: 2002 - 2014

Appearances: 455

Goals: 8

Honours: Premier League (x6), League Cup (x2), Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, PFA Team of the Year (x5)

Rio Ferdinand proved to be worth every penny of the £30m British record fee that also made him the most expensive defender in history in 2002. Major trophies reaching double figures and over 450 games in a 12-year spell are evidence of that.

Ferdinand was one of the best centre-backs in the world at his peak, combining pace and strength with great football intelligence and a superb ability to read the game in front of him.

5. Wayne Rooney

United Career: 2004 - 2017

Appearances: 559

Goals: 253

Honours: Premier League (x 5), FA Cup, League Cup (x3), Champions League, Europa League, FIFA Club World Cup, PFA Players’ Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, Premier League Player of the Season, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year (x2), PFA Team of the Year (x3)

Wayne Rooney won every trophy there was to win as a Manchester United player. He also left the club in 2017 as the all-time record goalscorer after surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton’s previous mark that had stood for 44 years by the time it was broken.

Rooney arrived at United as the world’s most expensive teenager. He had to wait for his debut because of injury but scored a hat-trick when it came to set the tone for the next 13 years.

4. Nemanja Vidic

United Career: 2006 - 2014

Appearances: 300

Goals: 21

Honours: Premier League (x5), League Cup (x3), Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, Premier League Player of the Season (x2), Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year, PFA Team of the Year (x4)

Nemanja Vidic was one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s greatest bargain signings. The Serbian international was relatively unknown when he arrived from Russian football for just £7m in January 2006, yet he was revered as a world class centre-back within 18 months.

While Rio Ferdinand was a more measured defender who played on the cover, Vidic was an aggressive ball winner, giving perfect balance to the partnership.

3. Roy Keane

United Career: 1993 - 2005

Appearances: 480

Goals: 51

Honours: Premier League (x7), FA Cup (x4), Champions League, Intercontinental Cup, PFA Players’ Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year (x2), PFA Team of the Year (x4)

Sir Alex Ferguson snatched Nottingham Forest midfielder Roy Keane from under the nose of Blackburn manager Kenny Dalglish in the summer of 1993 for a British record fee of £3.75m and reaped the rewards for 12 glorious years.

Keane is the most successful captain in United history, lifting eight major trophies as skipper, including during the treble season off the back of a serious knee injury the year before.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

United Career: 2003 - 2009

Appearances: 292

Goals: 118

Honours: Premier League (x3), FA Cup, Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, Ballon d’Or, European Golden Shoe, Premier League Golden Boot, PFA Players’ Player of the Year (x2), FWA Footballer of the Year (x2), Premier League Player of the Season (x2), Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year (x3), PFA Team of the Year (x4)

Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at Old Trafford in 2003 as an unknown teenager and left in 2009 as the best player in the world and the most expensive in history. He has since gone on to become one of the very best of all time in a truly breathtaking career.

Ronaldo managed to translate raw potential into devastating effectiveness in 2006 and his goals, explosive ability and moments of sheer genius propelled United to unrivalled levels of success.

1. Eric Cantona

United Career: 1992 - 1997

Appearances: 185

Goals: 82

Honours: Premier League (x4), FA Cup (x2), PFA Players’ Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year (x2), PFA Team of the Year

Eric Cantona was the catalyst on which United’s early Premier League dominance was built following his arrival from Leeds three months into the inaugural 1992/93 campaign. That season finished with the club crowned English champions for the first time in 26 long years.

Cantona remained an X-factor until he retired at the age of just 30 in 1997, but he had also turned mentor to a new generation of talent that preserved the club’s success for another 15 years.

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