Sir Alex Ferguson's all-time worst Manchester United starting XI
Sir Alex Ferguson has bought and sold, selected and dropped hundreds of players during his 23-year reign at Manchester United. As he celebrates his club's 18th England championship title we take a look at his all-time worst starting XI.
By Mark Ogden
United flops: Diego Forlan, David Bellion and Eric Djemba-Djemba are considered among Fergie's worst signings Photo: PA/GETTY IMAGES
Massimo Taibi:
£4.4m signing from Venezia, the Italian keeper made just four appearances for the club. There was no way back after a howler at Old Trafford when a Matt Le Tissier shot bobbled through his legs.
John Sivebaek:
A Ron Atkinson signing, the Dane had a terrific reputation in Denmark, but the adventurous full-back never quite grasped the job description of 'defender.’
William Prunier:
French defender lasted just two games after arriving on trial from Bordeaux in 1995 his last being a 4-1 hammering at Spurs on New Years Day 1996.
Pat McGibbon:
Northern Irish defender was billed as a star of the youth-team, but he was sent off on his one and only first-team appearance - a 3-0 League Cup defeat at home to York City!
Eric Djemba-Djemba:
So bad, they named him twice. The £3.5m signing from Nantes actually made 20 appearances before moving on to Aston Villa, Burnley and Qatar. Now playing for Danish club OB.
Kleberson:
Won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002, but the midfielder lacked the physical presence to succeed in England and was dogged by injuries before moving to Besiktas after two years at Old Trafford.
Liam Miller:
Burdened by a billing as the 'new’ Roy Keane, largely because he also came from Cork. The midfielder made just eleven starts before being loaned out to Leeds.
Ralph Milne:
A £150,000 buy from Bristol City in November 1988, Milne’s signing was probably the nadir for Ferguson, who sold the Scot after 30 forgettable appearances.
David Bellion:
United believed they had plucked the new Thierry Henry from Sunderland when they signed the French winger, but it soon became clear that they hadn’t.
Terry Gibson:
Another player Ferguson inherited from Ron Atkinson , Gibson scored just once in 27 appearances before being offloaded to Wimbledon.
Diego Forlan:
The Uruguayan became a cult figure after scoring twice in a 2-1 win at Liverpool in 2002, but the £6.9m striker took 27 games to get off the mark for United. |