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Ed Woodward's best & worst Man Utd signings during controversial 8-year spell

  /  autty

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward will leave his post at the end of the season after eight years in the role, during which time he's sanctioned an incredible £1billion spend on transfers.

Woodward is an unpopular figure among United fans, who made their feelings known by launching smoke bombs over his fence last year.

The polarising figure was reportedly one of the main drivers behind United's decision to join the breakaway European Super League, and subsequently brought forward his resignation after the severe backlash.

But what will his legacy at Old Trafford be? The man in charge has had mixed successes in the transfer market, and Mirror Football has identified his best and worst signings.

Bruno Fernandes

Portuguese playmaker Bruno Fernandes is widely regarded as one of United's best signings from abroad since Cristiano Ronaldo.

After a lengthy transfer saga, it seemed United would miss out on the attacker, only to eventually fork out the £46.6million last January.

His arrival pretty much single-handidly transformed United's season, as he carried them into the top four in the Premier League.

Paul Pogba

United breaking the world transfer record for Paul Pogba was one of the most significant moments in Woodward's time at the club.

The Red Devils paid out £89m for the former academy star, who struggled to make an immediate impact at the club.

His second stint at Old Trafford has been complicated, but he's now a key part in arguably United's best team since their last Premier League title-winning campaign.

Luke Shaw

United brought Luke Shaw in to be a long-term replacement for Patrice Evra back in 2014, paying a then-world record fee for a teenager of £30m.

Only in recent years has he started to properly pay that back, however. He was named the club's player of the year in 2019, and seems nailed-on to do the same this season.

Despite the arrival of Alex Telles, he's kept his place in the side and looks to be irreplaceable at the moment.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

On Shaw's opposing flank, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has also turned out to be a brilliant signing.

The right-back was signed from Crystal Palace for an eye-watering £50m back in 2019 along with Harry Maguire, but he's proved himself to be one of the league's best full-backs since arriving.

At just 23 years of age, he's got his whole career ahead of him and could well go down as a club legend at Old Trafford.

Ander Herrera

Ander Herrera was one of United's first successes in the transfer market post-Ferguson.

The midfielder was courted in the first transfer window after Ferguson retired, but United had to wait a year later before signing him for £32m.

He was a key part of United's Europa League-winning side under Jose Mourinho, playing 31 times in the Portuguese boss' best season at the club.

Anthony Martial

United fans gleefully taunt the doubters over Anthony Martial with their famous '£50million down the drain song', but eyebrows were raised when he was signed from Monaco.

The striker has played both through the middle and out wide, and has an impressive 78 goals for the club in 258 games.

Considering the gamble United took on him, it's fair to say he was worth the money.

Alexis Sanchez

If Woodward's time at United can be summed up by a single signing, it would be Alexis Sanchez.

The Chilean arrived in a swap deal for Henrikh Mkhitaryan back in 2018, and turned out to be one of the club's worst signings in recent memory.

He scored just five times in 45 appearances across all competitions and cost a reported £500,000 per-week in wages.

Falcao

United's acquisition of Falcao looked to be a real coup at the time considering his goalscoring exploits for Monaco.

However, United paid £6m up front for the season-long loan, and covered his £250,000 per-week salary.

But he managed just four goals in 29 appearances, and was subsequently sent back to France.

Morgan Schneiderlin

United had a clumsy attitude towards transfers in the immediate aftermath of Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, and the arrival of Schneiderlin acts as an example of that.

The central midfielder joined for £25m from Southampton but failed to ever really find his feet in Manchester.

He lasted just two seasons before leaving for Everton, having made just 47 appearances during his time in Manchester.

Angel Di Maria

Like Sanchez, the arrival of Angel Di Maria was viewed as a marquee statement by United, who paid Real Madrid £59m for his services.

A brilliant start to life in the Premier League led many to believe they'd pulled off a masterstroke.

But he quickly fell out of favour - not helped by issues off the pitch - and left for Paris Saint-Germain after just 32 appearances.

Marcos Rojo

Louis Van Gaal was eager to sign Marcos Rojo after taking over from David Moyes, and Woodward sanctioned the request by forking out £16m.

Despite showing flashes of his ability, he's failed to make more than 22 appearances in any Premier League season.

He's played just 15 times since the end of the 2017-18 season, and was sold to Boca Juniors for an undisclosed fee In January.

Memphis Depay

Big things were expected of Memphis Depay after he signed from PSV Eindhoven for £25m.

However, he failed to find his scoring boots in England and found the net just seven times in 45 games in his first season.

Just eight games later, he was sold off to Lyon, where he's gone on to rediscover his best form.

Bastian Schweinsteiger

United signed Bastian Schweinsteiger a few years too late, as he was clearly past his prime when he arrived.

The midfielder became United's first-ever German player to appear for the club, and he looked promising in his first year, playing 31 times.

However, after the arrival of Mourinho he was banished to train with the under 23 side and effectively sent into exile, before sealing a move to Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire.

Victor Valdes

Like Schweinsteiger, United brought Victor Valdes in from Barcelona when he was on the decline.

The Barcelona great joined in 2014 to rehab from his cruciate ligament injury, and was offered a contract in 2015.

He made two appearances for the club before a loan move to Standard Liege, and signed for Middlesbrough on a free transfer shortly after.