Man Utd’s record signings

With Manchester United prepared to pay huge sums to sign Paul Pogba, we look at 10 deals that broke the club’s transfer record…

United had an £85m bid for the Frenchman rejected on Tuesday, according to Sky in Italy. That total would have eclipsed their previous club record by over £15m. 

Here are the players who cost more than their predecessors – and what happened next…

10. Roy Keane

Fee: £3.75m

Signed from: Nottingham Forest

Date: 19 July 1993

What they said: “I met Kenny Dalglish, agreed a contract with Blackburn and a pay rise. They said would I come back on the Monday when the offices were open again and I said yes. I went back to Cork for a few days and on Sunday morning I woke up and got a phone call from Alex Ferguson asking to go and meet him. I met Brian Kidd and Alex Ferguson, played a game of snooker with them and had the usual small talk, they told me how great I was and I believed them. I decided I wanted to go to United. Kenny Dalglish phoned up and I said I had agreed to go to United. He was fuming!” – Roy Keane, speaking in February 2016

What happened next:

Blackburn’s loss was Manchester United’s gain, as Keane went on to become a legendary captain at Old Trafford, an icon of the club’s success through the 1990s and into the 2000s under Ferguson. The record transfer fee paid for the Irishman turned out to be a bargain – he won seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the Champions League with United before a surprise departure in November 2005.  

9. Andy Cole

Fee: £6m + Keith Gillespie

Signed from: Newcastle United

Date: 12 January 1995

What they said: Cole’s British transfer record switch left Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan stood outside St James’ Park trying to calm an angry group of protesting fans but, over in the North West, the striker was licking his lips at the prospect of combining with Manchester United’s talented squad. “I wouldn’t have gone to any other club than Manchester United,” said Cole. “I am excited about the prospect of playing at Old Trafford. There are lots of world-class players here and lots of chances which I hope to get on the end of.”

What happened next:

That’s just what he did in the remainder of the 1994/95 season, scoring 12 times in 18 league appearances as United narrowly missed out on the title to Blackburn. However, the striker struggled to replicate that goalscoring form in the next two seasons, as Eric Cantona and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came to the fore, and Cole was almost part of a deal to bring Alan Shearer to the club in 1996. It wasn’t until the 1997/98 season he refound his touch and went on to bag 17 and 19 league goals in 1998/99 and 1999/00, as he struck up a stunning partnership with Dwight Yorke. By the time he left the club in December 2001, Cole had won five league titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League.

8. Jaap Stam

Fee: £10.75m

Signed from: PSV Eindhoven

Date: 1 July 1998

What they said: “I was a United fan and at the time they were the biggest club in Europe, so when they came in I wasn’t going anywhere else.” – Jaap Stam in March 2016

What happened next:

A key part of Ferguson’s rebuilding work in the summer of 1998 as United aimed to recover from a trophyless 1997/98, Stam became the most expensive defender and Dutch player ever. The move paid off, with United winning three league titles during his three seasons with the club, as well as an FA Cup and …

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