Man Utd look set to sign Adrien Rabiot but they don’t have a great record when buying from Italy. Even the No.1 is problematic.
Here’s how we’ve ranked the 11 signings United have made from Italy during the Premier League era. Players bought for the academy, like Federico Macheda and Davide Petrucci, have been omitted because our list, our rules.
11) Massimo Taibi
Everyone forgets that Taibi was Man of the Match on his debut against Liverpool at Anfield in 1999. That’ll happen when you concede the goals he did.
The Blind Venetian cost £4.5million and he made just four appearances in which he cost 11 goals. Four months after arriving, he was shipped back to Italy on loan and then permanently the following summer at a £2million loss, having made Mark Bosnich look good.
10) Amad Diallo
“One of the most exciting young prospects in the game,” said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when Atalanta had United’s pants down for £37.2million. We’ll have to take his word for it since we’ve barely seen him in the first team.
Diallo was loaned to Rangers for the second half of last season – he struggled to get a game up there too – but as Rio Ferdinand says: “He just isn’t ready.”
Thirty-seven million quid. Diallo might turn out to be decent, but he looks way off it right now.
9) Giuseppe Rossi
The New Jersey-born Italy international was only 17 when he arrived from Parma in 2004 but he was thrust straight into Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad. He was kept on the fringes, however, due to the talent ahead of him and his own injury woes.
Rossi was restricted to 14 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals, before being loaned to Newcastle and Parma, prior to joining Villarreal for £6.6million.
8) Paul Pogba
Bought from Juventus for £89million before being handed back to the Old Lady six years later. In the meantime, he showed the occasional glimpse of the magic anyone with eyes knows he possesses but despite benefitting from levels of patience afforded to few other players at Old Trafford, Pogba departed an unfulfilled talent, a star in his own head but a waste of energy beyond his own bubble.
Jose was right – about Pogba and a few other things too.
7) Juan Veron
“He’s a f***ing great player and yous are all f***ing idiots.”
Fergie was at least half right but the fact Veron failed to fulfil his potential after a £24.3million British record transfer from Lazio in 2001 still grates many United fans.
Nicky Butt concurred with…
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