Manchester United have had a mixed track record with signings over the past few years, with more misses than hits.
There were still misses under Sir Alex Ferguson, but there were a lot more hits, which speaks to the impeccable way the club was run under the Scot, with his trusted chief executive David Gill.
In a new interview with Five, Gill has been reflecting on his biggest success stories.
Gill became chief executive at Manchester United in 2003, after Peter Kenyon left the club for Chelsea.
READ MORE: Manchester United transfer history 2013 to present day
David Gill names best Manchester United signings
In the interview, Gill was asked to select the best three signings from his decade at Manchester United. He ended up selecting five.
That shows what a successful period it was, that he was spoiled for choice. Could we even name three successful additions from the last decade?!
The first name Gill picked out was Wayne Rooney, who went onto become the club’s record goalscorer.
He explained: “Wayne, in terms of what he did for the club. And I’d say Michael Carrick in terms of what he brought, the other I would say if I could have two, [Nemanja] Vidic and [Patrice] Evra.”
Gill then went on to add a fifth, “In terms of importance to he club, I’d say Edwin [van der Sar]. We struggled to replace Peter [Schmeichel] and then got Edwin and he was great for us.”
How much Manchester United paid for Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar cost Manchester United a fee of just £1.5 million in 2005. It was a sure fire deal, with the goalkeeper bringing title success with him at Ajax and Juventus, and was playing for Fulham at the time.
He went on to win the Champions League for Manchester United in 2008, and four Premier League titles.
Among the names mentioned by Gill, Van der Sar was the cheapest, with Wayne Rooney the priciest at around £30 million.
Gill addresses whether United should have bought Van der Sar sooner
In hindsight, it is easy to say Manchester United should have bought Van der Sar earlier as an instant replacement for Peter Schmeichel.
The club went with various names in between, from Mark Bosnich to Fabien Barthez, with Massimo Taibi, Roy Carroll and Tim Howard all getting their chances. Van der Sar finally gave the consistency United required.
Gill was asked whether Sir Alex Ferguson regretted not signing him earlier – but said this was not an opinion the Scot ever voiced to him.
He explained: “He probably did – but he didn’t say that to me.”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/YzkFP4a