Manchester United has engaged in more than its fair share of dubious transfer transactions in recent years. at instance, Antony was purchased by the Red Devils from Ajax last summer at a reported £85 million.

For a player with Antony’s calibre, a deal this large isn’t unheard of in today’s football world, but Erik ten Hag seems to have been slightly taken advantage of.

Although he did contribute to 22 goals in just 33 games during his good season in the Netherlands’ top flight, Cody Gakpo, who signed with Liverpool in the January transfer window, only initially cost the Reds £37 million.

The former PSV player participated in the Eredivisie during his last complete season, scoring 36 goals in 47 games.

This illustrates the extent to which United was betrayed in their acquisition of Antony, as well as the significance of Eredivisie statistics in relation to the Premier League.

Since then, Gakpo has excelled at Anfield; but, in the 2023–24 season, the Brazil international has only assisted on two goals.

Garnacho, McTominay, and Antony
However, Antony is not the only Red Devils addition that hasn’t been successful.

Reasons for Jadon Sancho’s difficulties at United

For £73 million, United signed Jadon Sancho in the summer of 2021. The winger’s first season at Old Trafford was somewhat sluggish after his arrival. Despite making 38 appearances, he only contributed eight goals overall.

Manchester United’s Jadon Sanchez
In the 2022–2023 season, he was able to contribute in double digits and concluded the term with 10 goals overall, indicating a slight improvement in his play.

Journalist Tom McDermott called the attacker the team’s “weak link” despite this little improvement in performance.

When people discuss your big-name acquisition from the previous season, you don’t want them to use words like these.

Ten Hag decided not to select the former Manchester City player in his squad for 2023–2024 despite his improved performance because he was barred from both first-team football and training.

All of this is happening while Sancho, the attacker, is paid £195k a week, ranking seventh among the Red Devils’ salary earners.

Ten Hag decided to send Sancho on loan to his old team, Borussia Dortmund, when he was cut from the first squad. Since then, he has made eight appearances and twice aided his teammates.

The difference in salary between Rasmus Hojlund and Sancho

As you can see, this list does not include Manchester United’s £72 million summer acquisition. This is true even though the attacker outperformed Sancho in every way.

For United, Rasmus Hojlund has participated in 30 games across all competitions, scoring 13 goals in that time. The Norwegian has even been able to help his colleagues twice.

However, according to Capology, the attacker only makes £85k a week despite outperforming both Antony and Sancho this season.

Money Burners: Cash, Pounds, and Wage

The Wage Burners series on Football FanCast examines modern-day player pay.

Even if this is still a ridiculous sum of money for any football player, it seems insignificant in comparison to the effort he and his teammates have put in.

Ten Hag will cost the team an additional £10.14 million in salary over the course of the upcoming season if he is unable to let Sancho go in the summer.

For a player who is obviously no longer in the plans of the Netherlands managers, this is a significant risk. In the summer, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co. need to give him the boot.