Thanks to all the v2 forum members and @v2football follewers who contributed to this article.
GK - Barthez: Signed for £7.8 million the shadow cast by Schmeichel was always going to linger. Whilst the French World & European Championship winner had his moments his time at Utd was defined by his arrogance & stubbornness. Who can forget the Di Canio incident in 2001!?
RB - Milne: Sir Alex Ferguson has publicly acknowledged Milne to be his worst signing saying "I only paid £170,000 (from Bristol City) but still get condemned for it," and who am I to argue with the great man. After leaving United, Ralph Milne never played professional football again.
CB: Blanc: Seen as a safe transfer when signed from Inter Milan in 2001, he struggled in his first season with notable poor performances against Bolton, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle & Chelsea (an acronym of his surname). In many united fans eyes, the only mistake Ferguson made was not signing Blanc sooner in his career.
CB - Prunier: Has been described as looking like Jaap Stam but playing like Stam's grandmother! He was recommended to Ferguson by Cantona & and impressed in his debut against QPR (he set up a goal for Andy Cole & hit the bar). He then played in the 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Spurs before leaving the club despite being offered an extended trial.
LB - Fortune: Excitement surrounded his arrival when first bought to play as an attacking midfielder, it was quickly found that he didn’t the pace or attribute to play this position in the premier league so was moved to play at left-back. Plagued by injuries & managed just 88 games in 7 seasons at the club. Played in 3 league winning sides but never made enough appearances to merit a winners medal.
CM - Kleberson: I’ve heard him describe as the World Cup winner who made less of an impact at Old Trafford than David May. Which I feel is a bit harsh on David May! Signed by Alex Ferguson for £6.5 million on after Big Phil Scolari declared him the driving force behind Brazil's cup-winning side. The World Cup Winner was injured in his second appearance for the club and made only 20 appearances in two seasons.
CM - Veron: His £28.1 million stint as a Red Devils wasn’t a great success. I think he found it hard to adjust to the pace and intensity of the Premier League like many foreign players before & since. He lacked a good first touch under pressure. With less time on the ball he was unable to pull the strings like he did during his time in Italy. The best bit of the whole business was recouping half of the original outlay when flogging him to Chelsea.
RM - Poborsky: Let’s face it Poborsky was signed for his lob over Vitor Baia during Euro 96! Unsurprisingly, he could not reproduce that form on a regular basis for United and coupled with David Beckham's rising stardom, Poborsky would only manage one-and-a-half seasons before joining Benfica.
LM - Bebe: As it stands Utd have paid nearly £4 million per league appearance for him. He was ‘’recommended’’ to Fergie by former assistant Carlos Queiroz (a late April Fools Maybe!?). The Scot decided to sign him despite only ever seeing him play on a DVD; a gamble which has left Fergie with a slightly redder face, as it turns out he actually isn’t very good at football.
ST - Forlan: 27 games, Yes…27 games to score his first goal – and even that was a penalty!!! Man Utd beat Middlesbrough to the signing; a move which Boro fans ended up being very happy about. Incredibly following his departure in 2004 he was constantly amongst the goals, scoring for fun in La Liga with Villareal then Atletico Madrid. Has won the European Golden Shoe on two occasions…and that’s why he makes this list.
ST: Birtles: Gary Birtles ticked all the boxes back in he signed for £1.25 Million back in 1980: Goal-scorer ,England International ,European cup winner ,League Winner & Scored in a cup final. Yet struggled for goals in Dave Sexton’s side with only 11 goals in 2 seasons as a Red Devils before moving back to Nottingham Forest where he found his scoring touch again!