Over the previous ten years, Manchester United, one of the largest clubs in the world, has failed to live up to expectations.

It’s reasonable to argue that the club has suffered greatly in recent years, from on-field mishaps to a complete absence of meaningful strategy behind the scenes.

fans of Manchester United
It’s evident that there isn’t a clear concept of advancement based only on the signings made in previous years, with high-profile agreements ending in failure.

However, aside from one player whose value has plummeted to the point where they are worth three times less than Harry Maguire since the summer, it is rare that United truly makes the right choice to sell a player.

The 2024 transfer value of Harry Maguire

Maguire was the first center-back Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looked for in 2019 while assembling his Man United squad.

In an £80 million world record signing for a defender, the 6′ 4″ rock moved from Leicester City to United. In his first season, he guided the team to 13 clean sheets in 38 Premier League games.

Harry McGuire, Newcastle United, Premier League transfer
But as of right now, injuries and inconsistent play on the pitch have caused the former United captain’s worth to drop to barely £13 million, according to CIES’ Football Observatory.

From United’s perspective, it’s a rather bad deal, although there has been some positive news on the transfer front as one recent departure is now actually worth less than Maguire.

After departing Manchester United, Dean Henderson’s transfer value

Dean Henderson, an academy product, played for Manchester United for twelve years, but even though he made an impression when on loan at Sheffield United, he was never given the confidence needed to replace first-choice David de Gea.

Over his career, the 27-year-old made just 29 appearances for the Red Devils in the first squad, with the majority of those games occurring in cup competitions.

Henderson-Dean and England
However, he ultimately departed the team in the summer in pursuit of playing time, and Crystal Palace seemed to be the ideal place for him to establish himself as a first-team Premier League goalie.

Sadly, that hasn’t been the case since his £20 million transfer, as he missed 10 games in September and December due to a hamstring injury.

Henderson vs. Man United’s Lowest Valued Players

Participant

Worth

Amad Diallo

£4 million

Willy Kambwala

£4 million

Bayindir Altay

£4 million

Evans Jonny

£4 million

Dean Henderson

£4 million

via Football Observatory at CIES

As you can see, he is now worth three times less than Maguire’s £13 million as a result of this considerable decline in value. In fact, he would currently be one of the United team’s least valuable first-team players.

Nottingham Forest Dean Henderson Manchester United
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear like Henderson’s situation will improve either. Since Oliver Glasner, the new manager, chose Sam Johnstone as his starting goalie, Henderson—dubbed “shaky” by journalist Josh Bunting—has been benched for the team’s last four games.

Thus, it’s evident that United made a brilliant move by realising a £20 million profit on Henderson, which allowed them to finish revamping their goalkeeping staff in the summer.