Man Utd signed ‘fantastic’ Alex Ferguson star and returning hero in January

Some of Manchester United’s best transfer business has come to fruition in the January transfer window

The January transfer window was a quiet one for Manchester United, but the silver lining behind that is that a more productive summer may be around the corner.

Michael Carrick didn’t bring any new signings to Old Trafford last month and emerges from the window with the same squad he inherited. That’s despite the fact that some of the club’s all-time best signings just so happen to have arrived in the winter.

Based on his fast start at the United helm, Carrick may just get the chance to conduct business for his old side in the future. And if all goes to plan, he’ll still be at the helm at the start of 2027 to have his first real crack at January dealings

However, he’ll have a tall order in topping some of the club’s historic business in the mid-season market. Here, Mirror Football examines some of the club’s most successful January acquisitions from years gone by.

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Nemanja Vidic

Arguably one of the greatest January signings in Premier League history, Nemanja Vidic emerged from relative anonymity at Spartak Moscow to become one of the finest defenders the Premier League has witnessed. The Serbian joined for a modest £7million in January 2005 and claimed his first trophy with United after barely a month, defeating Wigan Athletic to secure that season’s League Cup.

Vidic’s legacy at Old Trafford is nothing short of remarkable – 15 trophies, including five Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League. Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t mince his words when describing the Serbian’s consistency, whose legendary defensive partnership with Rio Ferdinand became the stuff of United folklore.

“I always used to say Denis Irwin would give us eight or nine out of 10 every week, but he never got a mention when the praise was being given out,” the Scot said in 2009. “We all knew the value of him, and it is very much the same with Vidic. He has been a fantastic performer for us.”

Paul Scholes

Few United supporters would dispute Paul Scholes’ status as a club legend. However, many overlook the extraordinary fact this one-club hero technically signed for the Red Devils on more than one occasion.

At 36, Scholes hung up his boots in the summer of 2011. Yet Ferguson sensed his midfield maestro had unfinished business – and his instincts proved spot on. The ginger genius made a sensational return halfway through the 2011/12 season, netting four league goals in the latter half of the campaign, his best tally since 2006/07.

Despite United narrowly missing out on the title as City dramatically snatched the crown on goal difference, Scholes stayed put to claim his 11th and final Premier League trophy in 2013. However, he later confessed he felt the comeback was a misjudgement.

Bruno Fernandes

The only member of this list still on the books at United, Bruno Fernandes ignored interest from other European big guns to sign in January 2020. And the former Sporting CP playmaker has succeeded in lifting the standards at the Theatre of Dreams, just as he did in Lisbon.

Some will say the jury is still out on whether Fernandes has justified the initial £47m paid for his services given an FA Cup and League Cup is all they’ve lifted in the six years since he arrived. However, his 88 goals and 77 assists in 268 appearances for United, and the fact he was made captain in 2023, speaks volumes of his work.

Patrice Evra

Fan favourites don’t get a lot more beloved than Patrice Evra, who supposedly snubbed interest from Arsenal, Liverpool and Real Madrid to join United. Five Premier League titles, one Champions League crown and 379 appearances later, the Frenchman had secured his spot as an Old Trafford icon.

Ferguson moved for Evra in January 2006 because of an injury crisis in defence at the time, but his £5.5m arrival soon looked like a steal. Evra ousted Gabriel Heinze from the left-back spot permanently and was named in the Premier League Team of the Season on three occasions.

Louis Saha

United icon Ferguson had a knack for poaching the Premier League’s most prolific goalscorers from rival clubs, and Louis Saha’s signing in January 2004 exemplified this perfectly. The French striker had netted 15 goals for Fulham in the opening half of that campaign and arrived to bolster United’s attacking options.

Whilst Saha’s spell at Old Trafford was hampered by fitness problems, he still managed a respectable tally of 42 goals and 16 assists across 124 appearances for United. As one of Wayne Rooney’s preferred striking partners, he delivered what was required when available and secured two Premier League titles, one League Cup and a Champions League winner’s medal for his efforts.

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