The Guardian reported that the struggles of Paul Pogba and Jadon Sancho have sounded an alarm for Michael Carrick as he undertakes Manchester United's rebuild. Under previous management, Manchester United pursued a strategy of signing high-profile stars to boost kit sales and attract commercial partnerships through their marketability. This approach culminated with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo. Under this recruitment policy, many celebrated players failed to prove their worth at Manchester United and have largely faded into obscurity.

Five years is a long time in football. Summer 2021 marked a turning point in the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era at Manchester United. The most eye-catching move that summer was the emotional signing of Cristiano Ronaldo. After years of methodical team-building, Manchester United lost its way.

However, even before Ronaldo's arrival, there was still optimism at Old Trafford. Manchester United won their opening Premier League fixture, and observers argued the club finally had a genuine chance to challenge for the league title after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement. After all, the club had just signed Jadon Sancho, one of the most coveted young English players on the transfer market. The club expected this new £74 million signing to form a potent attacking unit alongside Bruno Fernandes, midfielder Paul Pogba at his peak, and several other talented forwards.

Sancho came off the bench in that opening match, while Pogba was in his prime form, recording four assists against Leeds United to tie the Premier League single-match assist record. Manchester United also had Donny van de Beek, signed for £35 million in 2020, and many expected the former Ajax star to flourish. There were also academy products Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, and Anthony Martial. Whether this team still needed Cristiano Ronaldo hardly mattered anymore. In any case, Solskjaer had an abundance of attacking talent at his disposal.

Many of these players have since faded away, and Pogba and Sancho are now without clubs, signed as free agents. This suggests that despite Solskjaer's best intentions, this group ultimately struggled to create chemistry at Manchester United. The Norwegian manager, with help from Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna, attempted to shift the team's style from counterattacking to one emphasizing possession and controlling matches. However, a series of painful defeats at the hands of rivals like Manchester City and Liverpool shattered morale beyond recovery in the dressing room.

In a 2024 "Stick to Football" podcast, Solskjaer said: "We have to play like Manchester United. We can't just drop deep or play on the counter. We have to have the courage to face opponents head-on. Otherwise, there's no point being at Manchester United. But we weren't ready then, and we simply didn't perform well enough."

Paul Pogba and Jadon Sancho have become emblematic of Manchester United's flawed transfer strategy during Solskjaer's tenure and even under former CEO Ed Woodward. For years following Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, Manchester United prioritized signing high-profile stars to boost kit sales and attract commercial partnerships through their global appeal. This strategy reached its peak with Cristiano Ronaldo's signing. The Glazer family believed stealing a Manchester United legend from Manchester City would be a massive PR victory with supporters.

The 2016 signing of Pogba and 2021 signing of Sancho represented a combined investment of £163 million, epitomizing the reckless spending of the Woodward era and reflecting the club's muddled decision-making logic. Manchester United packaged both deals as "homecomings" on social media, with Sancho's announcement bearing the tagline "This is his home, and he belongs here." However, the former Borussia Dortmund winger was simply not prepared for such immense pressure.

Solskjaer later revealed that Sancho's integration was directly delayed when he required hospitalization for an ear infection shortly after his transfer was confirmed. The Norwegian manager said: "Jadon Sancho was the best option we could get at that time. We wanted to take things further, change our playing style, and sign players capable of breaking down opposing defenses in attacking areas. Jadon's technical ability and link-up play could have brought something different."

Sancho's Manchester United career proved disappointing, with a telling indicator being that his departure this summer caused barely a ripple. The 26-year-old winger quietly left the club upon contract expiration. Over the past three years, he had been loaned to Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, and Aston Villa, gaining minimal playing time at any of them. Sancho remains a free agent, with top European clubs no longer pursuing him, and only occasional transfer speculation has emerged this summer.

Pogba's situation is similar but more complicated. He was just released by Monaco. After leaving Manchester United at the end of the 2021-22 season, the French international returned to his former club Juventus. However, a combination of persistent injuries and a doping ban limited him to just 12 appearances before Juventus terminated his contract. Following an appeal, Pogba's four-year ban was reduced to 18 months, and he called it "the end of my nightmare" before signing with Monaco. Yet the World Cup-winning midfielder made just six appearances for the Ligue 1 club before becoming a free agent again. Which club would risk taking a chance on the 33-year-old?

Marcus Rashford somewhat awkwardly returned to Manchester United this summer. The club had previously approved his loan moves to Aston Villa and Barcelona. Bruno Fernandes remains the only member of Solskjaer's attack to have stayed at Old Trafford since 2021, consistently delivering quality performances.

Greenwood's last Manchester United appearance came in the 2021-22 season, after which he was arrested on sexual assault allegations and subsequently suspended by the club. In February 2023, prosecutors dropped the charges against him. He was initially loaned to Getafe before transferring to Marseille in 2024 and moving to Fenerbahçe this summer.

Martial never gained an edge over Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani in the competition for the starting position and failed to recapture his peak form. Like Pogba and Sancho, he is now a free agent, with his last club being Mexican side Monterrey.

Donny van de Beek left Manchester United in 2024 for just £423,000 and is currently attempting to revive his career at Girona.

The turbulent fortunes of these players serve as a cautionary tale. As Michael Carrick seeks to reshape Manchester United's playing style and close the gap with the Premier League's top teams, he will undoubtedly take these lessons to heart.

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