Over the years, Manchester United has developed a reputation for overpaying for talent, and many of those acquisitions have fallen short of expectations.

This has been clear up until this point in the season; recent instances are £73 million for Jadon Sancho and £82 million for Antony.

Jadon, Sanchez, Man, and United
But the club has experienced problems with more than simply incomings; the Red Devils frequently struggle to make up their losses through sales.

Nevertheless, there have been instances in which United has even made money on players; one former Red was sold for £30 million in 2021 and is currently valued less than controversial figure Harry Maguire.

The market value of Harry Maguire in 2024

For a record-breaking £80 million, Maguire left Leicester City in 2019 to join Manchester United.

The most costly centre backs in history

Participant

endorsed

Transfer charge

Harry Maguire, number one

Man United

£80 million

#2 Gvardiol Josko

Man City

£77 million

#3 Virgil van Dijk

Liverpool

£75 million

#4 Wesley Fofana

Chelsea

£75 million

#5 Matthijs de Ligt

Juventus

£68 million

The England international was a mainstay in the starting lineup throughout his rookie campaign, starting each and every game and leading the defence to 13 Premier League clean sheets.

But in Erik ten Hag’s first season, the number five has struggled the last several seasons, starting just eight league games.

Harry Maguire, Manchester United, Newcastle, Premier League Cup, EFFL
Despite this, Maguire has started 13 games this season, receiving the Premier League Player of the Month title for December, and it appears that he has somewhat rejuvenated his United career.

Transfermarkt reports that despite this improvement in form, Maguire’s current value is merely £17 million, representing a huge loss for United.

That is not the case with a former United player, on whom the team completely failed.

The 2024 transfer value of Daniel James

Daniel James, who cost £15 million and joined Man United the same summer as Harry Maguire, was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first acquisition as manager.

After leaving Swansea City to join the Red Devils, the Welsh winger had an incredible first four games as a Manchester resident, scoring in three of them.

James, Daniel, Manchester, United
After starting just 11 Premier League games in his second season, the quick attacker would only play two seasons at Old Trafford before leaving for fierce rival Leeds United in a £30 million move.

James played 34 games in the top division for Leeds in 2021–2022, tallying four goals and dishing out five assists. However, he was loaned to Fulham for the previous campaign.

Even though the former Red Devil is having a great time playing in the Championship and has already contributed seven assists and 11 goals to Leeds’ push for promotion, Transfermarkt estimates that he is only worth £12 million, less than Maguire.

Man Utd’s First-Team Players with the Lowest Value

Participant

Worth

Heaton, Tom

£213,00

Evans Jonny

£1.7 million

Shola Shoretire

£3.4 million

Willy Kambwala

£4.2 million

Erik Christian

£8.5 million

Anthony Martial

£8.5 million

Through Transfermarkt

As you can see, if he were still with the team, this would rank him among Ten Hag’s least valuable players. He would also cost £5 million less than Maguire.

The club’s acquisition of Maguire has been a total bust, although James’ business venture has seen some success.

Given that United doubled their investment in the attacker, selling the 26-year-old to Leeds in 2021 appears to have been a masterclass. James’ current projected value further confirms that the Red Devils made the right choice three years ago.