In recent times, Manchester United have had more than their fair share of dodgy transfer dealings. For example, last summer, the Red Devils acquired Antony from Ajax for a fee in the region of £85m.
Although a deal worth this much isn’t too far-fetched in today’s footballing world, for a player who possesses the quality of Antony, it feels as if Erik ten Hag was somewhat ripped off.
Granted, he did have a solid season in the top flight of the Netherlands as he contributed to a total of 22 goals in just 33 games, but, Cody Gakpo, who joined Liverpool in the following January window only cost the Reds an initial £37m.
In the former PSV man’s final full season in the Eredivisie, he managed to involve himself with a total of 36 goals in 47 appearances.
This not only shows how much United were rinsed in the purchase of Antony, but, it also shows how much stats mean from the Eredivisie concerning the Premier League.
Gakpo has since hit the ground running at Anfield, however, during the 2023/24 term, the Brazil international has only contributed to two goals.
That said, Antony isn’t the only one of the Red Devils’ additions which hasn’t worked out.
Why Jadon Sancho has struggled at United
Jadon Sancho was signed by United in the summer of 2021 for £73m. Upon arriving at Old Trafford, the winger had a fairly slow first season. He played 38 times but only managed a total of eight goal contributions.
During the 2022/23 season, his form picked up somewhat as he managed to make it into double figures with his contributions and finished the season with finished the term with ten altogether.
Despite this slight upturn in form, journalist Tom McDermott described the attacker as the “weak link” within the squad.
These are not the sort of words you want people to describe when talking about your marquee signing from the previous season.
His upturn in form wasn’t enough for Ten Hag to include him within his squad for 2023/24 as the former Manchester City youngster was isolated from not only first-team football but from training as well.
This is all whilst the attacker is earning £195k-per-week, which makes Sancho the Red Devils’ eighth-highest-paid player.
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Manchester United’s highest-paid players |
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|---|---|
|
Player |
Weekly Salary |
|
1) Casemiro |
£350k |
|
2) Raphael Varane |
£340k |
|
3) Marcus Rashford |
£300k |
|
4) Anthony Martial |
£250k |
|
5) Mason Mount |
£250k |
|
6) Bruno Fernandes |
£240k |
|
7) Antony |
£200k |
|
8) Jadon Sancho |
£195k |
|
Data Via Capology |
|
Following his isolation from the first team, Ten Hag chose to send Sancho out on loan to his former club, Borussia Dortmund where he has played a total of eight games and has assisted his teammates twice.
How much Rasmus Hojlund earns compared to Sancho
You may notice Manchester United’s £72m summer signing is absent from this list. That is despite the attacker outperforming Sancho on all fronts.
Rasmus Hojlund has played a total of 30 games in all competitions for United and has managed to score 13 times during that time. The Norwegian has even managed to assist his teammates on two occasions.
However, despite outperforming both Antony and Sancho this season, as per Capology, the attacker only earns £85k-per-week.
Wage Burners
Football FanCast’s Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.
Although this is still an obscene amount of money for any footballer, when compared to his teammates, it feels minimal compared to the work he has put in.
If Ten Hag doesn’t manage to let Sancho go in the summer, he will rinse the club for another £10.14m in wages throughout the next season.
This is a large pitfall for a player who is clearly no longer in the Netherlands managers’ plans. He must be given his marching orders by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co in the summer.