When Sir Alex Ferguson stepped off as the manager of Manchester United, the club was struggling to get back into its former glory, but after several years of changing tactics and managers, United may be on a brink of winning a title with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
In the 2020/2021 season, the club had a fantastic run as it finished second on the PL table, right before their city rivals Manchester City. As the new season unfolds, Ole has managed to bring a few players to the club and thus, increase the chances of lifting the PL trophy.
Speaking of bringing players to the club, we wanted to take a trip down memory lane and look at the most expensive signings by Manchester United. Let’s check them out.
Jadon Sancho
The one interesting fact about Jadon Sancho was that everyone was aware that he will be leaving Dortmund. Since he’s a talented youngster, all of the top teams in the world, including Manchester United were interested in purchasing him.
The debate on who will sign him went so far that online sportsbooks even opened betting odds on his next destination. Punters registered at reputable sites such as novibet.co.uk, and they were casting their predictions in.
What’s even better is the fact that online sportsbooks, like the one we just mentioned, have massive sports coverage and since they are superior to land-based sportsbooks, punters decided to stay there and continue placing bets online.
After numerous speculations and rumours circulating, Jaden Sancho signed for Manchester United on July 23, 2021, for a price of £76.5 million, making him the third most expensive player in the club’s history.
Harry Maguire
Next up, we have a player that many consider to be the best English defender in the Premier League. Although Maguire’s form varied, in the last season, he managed to show some stability and reminded everyone that he is a solid player that has tons of qualities.
After the Euro 2020, many fans praised him for his contributions, which is why they expect Maguire to continue working hard and help Manchester United finally win the PL title. He was purchased from Leicester on August 9, 2019, for a price of £78.3 million.
Paul Pogba
The most expensive player in Manchester United’s history is actually coming from the club’s youth academy. Pogba failed to live up to the expectations at his young age, which is why he joined Juventus as a free agent.
During his time with the Old Lady, he reinvented himself and was praised for his adaptability, control, shot power, etc. That is why United was keen on bringing him back – the club thought that he may be the missing link in the squad. So, United ended up purchasing him for a whopping price of £94.5 million on August 9, 2016.
Honourable Mentions
Other expensive players that United purchased and are worth a mention are Romelu Lukaku (£76.23 million), Angel Di Maria (£67.5 million), Bruno Fernandes (£56.7 million) and Anthony Martial (£54 million).
Sport
Southampton youngster bids goodbye to boyhood club ahead of Manchester United move
Danny Jones
Southampton FC youngster, Harley Emsden-James, has bid goodbye to his boyhood club ahead of an imminent move to Manchester United.
The promising 16-year-old defender, who has already impressed plenty of youth scouts in the under-18s Premier League, is set to become Man United’s latest summer signing, making that four so far.
Identified not just by the Red Devils recruitment team but tipped for big things by their new Director of Football, Jason Wilcox – who was with the Saints before arriving at Old Trafford – he’s clearly thought of very highly already.
Posting on Instagram over the weekend, the Southampton-born centre-back shared images of himself as an even younger boy (joining the academy at age 7) along with a heartfelt farewell message.
As you can see, the caption touches upon almost a decade with the club, writing, “I’m incredibly grateful for all the memories made and the amazing people I’ve met throughout the journey.”
He goes on to add: “A huge thank you to all the staff who have supported and guided me over the years, to my teammates who’ve become friends, and to everyone who’s been a part of this chapter with me.
“Southampton will always hold a special place in my heart. On to the next chapter!”
Currently signed to Puma, the England prospect’s move to Manchester was confirmed by Fabrizio Romano back in June, and there seems to be an understanding that Wilcox knows him well already.
United are reported to have paid around £1 million for the young Southampton defender’s signature, fighting off other suitors, including Man City, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Spurs and more.
Having recently shifted appointments in the INEOS administration, initially being appointed as Technical Director back in April 2024, the previous Premier League winner and coach, now looks to be spearheading MUFC’s transfer business and a big chunk of the youth development.
Some clips of Harley Emsden-James (09) from 🏴U15 vs 🇺🇸 a few months back Righty CB made his U18 PL debut for Southampton yesterday Relatively physically advanced of which he imposes well in his age-group. Brilliant composure w ball-at-feet – prominent+strategic passing eye pic.twitter.com/ugE5fXBxBW
Although the belief is that Emsden-James will be dropped directly into Man United’s U18s PL squad, rather than be blooded into the first team, there is an expectation that he will feature as part of Ruben Amorim’s first pre-season tour, so he will benefit from training with more senior figures at the very least.
On the other hand, along with the likes of fellow new arrival and defensive partner, Diego León, we wouldn’t be too surprised if you see them given minutes amid issues with squad depth, injuries and not quite as much transfer activity as many may have hoped for.
Looks like United may once again be putting that old ‘you can’t win anything with kids’ adage to the test.
Gymshark is opening its first standalone northern store in Manchester this weekend
Emily Sergeant
A huge new Gymshark store is opening in Manchester tomorrow, and it’s the brand’s first standalone store in the North.
The global sportswear and fitness brand will be setting up shop at the Trafford Centre and taking over a large 7,500 ft space on Upper Peel Avenue with all of its iconic Gymshark ranges, including the massively ‘Vital’ and ‘Power’ collections, as well as some exciting new exclusives for Gymshark Trafford Centre.
The store itself is said to have Gymshark’s ‘increasingly trademark’ look and feel throughout it, including mannequins that are created from the image of real people in the community, different destinations for its hero products, and spacious changing rooms with bespoke lighting.
Unfamiliar with Gymshark? Since it was founded by Ben Francis from his garage in 2012, the brand has gone on to become one of the UK’s greatest business success stories of the 21st century – with more than 20 million people across 200 countries now counting themselves as members of the Gymshark community.
Gymshark is opening its first standalone northern store in Manchester this weekend / Credit: Supplied
The new Trafford Centre will be Gymshark’s first standalone store in the UK outside of London, and follows recent openings in Dubai and Amsterdam, as well as coming ahead of the opening of Gymshark’s first flagship store in the US later this year.
Most importantly, it builds on the brand’s long association with Manchester, as one of the first-ever Gymshark meet-ups was in the city, as well as its first ‘Lift’ event post-COVID.
Gymshark also credits the public’s reception to its space inside Selfridges at the Trafford Centre as one of the driving forces behind its choice to open a permanent store within the shopping centre, calling it ‘nothing short of spectacular’ and adding that the new opening genuinely solidifies Manchester’s role as a ‘big brother’ to a Brummie brand.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Gymshark’s first Northern store to Trafford Centre this weekend, joining our growing athleisure and sportswear offering at the centre,” commented Simon Layton, who is the Centre Director at Trafford Centre.
“We have no doubt that Gymshark will prove immensely popular and can’t wait to welcome them on opening day.”
Gymshark is opening at the Trafford Centre tomorrow (Saturday 12 July) with a grand ribbon cutting at 10am, followed by goody bags, refreshments, and merch being handed out for those waiting in line.
There’ll also be different fitness challenges to take part in too, in true Gymshark spirit.
The Manc -
20th August 2021 
