Ranking EVERY Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Signing At Man United

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been in charge of Manchester United for just over two and a half years and has transformed the club from the ruins that Jose Mourinho left it in, albeit without a trophy to show for it.

Under his reign, United have reached one final and four semi-finals and three quarter-finals and this season is make or break for Solskjaer as he aims to win his first trophy at the club that paints him a legend.

In that 2 and a half years, Ole has overseen five transfer windows and is currently operating in his 6^th, the first with real ambition by the board.

Considering the many flops that came before his reign, Ole hasn’t made a car crash of a signing yet and that is to his credit but some have been better than others.

Let’s see where all his signings rank from worst to best.

11 – Nathan Bishop

Nathan Bishop’s signing on deadline day of January 2020 went under the radar as it was just a day remove from a certain Portuguese signing. The goalkeeper came in from Southend United on an undisclosed fee and was brought into the squad in case of an emergency. He was also a keeper that could have made himself a future at the club however it wasn’t to be and has since been loaned out to Mansfield having not made a single appearance for the United senior team.

10- Facundo Pellistri

This seems a little harsh on the kid considering he has just scored a well taken winner against Derby but Facundo Pellistri, while a star for the future, hasn’t played enough for United. Costing the club around £10m, Facundo was sent out on loan to Alavés where he was a stop starter for them. Pellistri, along with Diallo, was the alternatives to Jadon Sancho last summer but now it looks increasing likely JS7 will be donning United red next season which puts the Uruguayan in a difficult position. Rashford, Martial, Sancho, James, Diallo, Greenwood and Lingard would most likely all be above him in the pecking order and are all still young enough to keep Pellistri out of the setup for the next few years.

9 – Odion Ighalo

Odion Ighalo was loaned in at the beginning of 2020 for one sole reason and that was as a backup to Martial and he filled the job description to a tee. While he started well and did exactly what we needed him to do, he started to peter off post lockdown. He then had his loan stay elongated to a year where he made a few flighting performances here and there. The Nigerian was an extremely useful signing but after the initial month of cult heroics were over, he wasn’t anything too special.

8 – Donny Van De Beek

In terms of price and expectation, there hasn’t been a worse signing for United than Donny Van de Beek. We have seen this situation far too much at United where a quality player joins the club and feels like the right signing all before either not fitting in and not getting on with the manager or just being awful and it is beginning to look like the former with the Dutch international. Most times Donny has put on a red shirt, he has played well but it doesn’t seem like Ole trusts him which is a big issue. As for Ole, this is a make or break season for Donny if he is to make something of himself at United.

7 – Alex Telles

There seems to be a mystery as to whether Alex Telles’ first season at Man United was a success or not. On one hand, he didn’t play as near as much as we all thought and when he did he showed some worrying vulnerabilities but on the other he should be credited in the rise to stardom of Luke Shaw. Before the Brazilian’s arrival, Luke Shaw was on the verge of being a good consistent left back for United but since Telles’s signing he has become one of if not the world’s best left back. This will have something to do with the strength in competition that Telles brings and that can’t go unnoticed. We hope this season is more of a success for him exclusively because he has talent in abundance.

6- Amad Diallo

If we were doing this ranking in a few years’ time then you might have seen Amad much higher up. Not many knew who Amad was before his quick fire move at the end of the summer window 2020 but now he is widely recognised as one of the most promising in the league. He’s not had much time at United since his delayed arrival in January but when he has stepped onto a pitch, he has impressed. He has come out of nowhere and his ceiling is sky high which is why he ranks here on the list.

5 – Daniel James

Regular readers of this site’s content will know how much of a fan I am of Dan James and with many not seeing his value at the club, I still believe he has, is and will be a big part of United in the future. The Welshman isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing of players and isn’t the most technically gifted either but he does do a job and an important one at that, after all there is a reason he starts in most of the victories over Man City. Whether he departs this summer or not, we should acknowledge that despite the popular decision to criticise James, he has in fact been a good player for us.

4 – Edinson Cavani

Edinson Cavani is a fan favourite. Not even our Portuguese magnifico is as loved as Cavani and that is a testament to his form last season. United panic bought El Matador on deadline day and after a few ups and downs in the first few months of last campaign, Cavani has got his head down and has etched his name in Red Devils history. The club really needed a goalscorer and Edinson came in and gave us the goals we’ve been craving. The Uruguayan just missed out of the Top 3 on the fact he hasn’t played as much as others but next season is looking deadly for Ole’s men and that is credit to a man like Cavani up top.

3 – Aaron Wan Bissaka

Man United’s resident spider is another player that divides opinion within the club’s fanbase. He isn’t the finished article by a long shot and his attacking ability and occasional positioning, whilst improving, are still weaknesses. Where AWB does perform is out and out defending and you will struggle to find many better in the world at that than him. He is also a constant in the first team having clocked up over 3000 minutes for the club last season alone. A player that rarely gets injured and is a solid defender is invaluable to a team. Speaking of…..

2 – Harry Maguire

Trust Harry Maguire to be injury free for the first few years where he was finding his feet at United and then miss the biggest match under Ole’s reign after finding your rhythm in the side. In all seriousness, Maguire has been a great signing for the club ignoring the price tag that was completely inflated. He holds very similar attributes to Aaron Wan Bissaka in the sense that he very rarely gets injured and will always be a part of the first team. We all know Maguire is mistake prone but if Euros showed exactly what he can do in the right partnership and with the impending transfer of Raphael Varane, we may get the England Maguire very soon.

1 – Bruno Fernandes

There was never any doubt, was there? Bruno Fernandes would top signings charts around the world because he is just that good and Ole deserves credit for that. We have all sang the praises of Bruno and know exactly how he transformed this great club around but when you consider his bargain price tag of £47m, the influence he has had becomes even greater. 40 goals and 25 assists in 80 games for the club seems like something you can just make up but those are really his stats. It’s important to stay grounded when talking about Fernandes but it’s hard to when he has been the best United signing since Van Persie in 2012.

Do you think Ole has made a bad signing at Man United? If so, let us know in the comments below.