The Guardian has written that the situations of P. Pogba, Jadon Sancho and others have sent warning signals for Michael Carrick's Manchester United rebuild. Previously, Manchester United was keen to chase big-name signings, hoping to sell shirts and attract commercial sponsorships through the influence of superstars. This strategy reached its peak with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo under this transfer policy. Many high-profile players failed to deliver as expected at Manchester United, and most gradually faded from public attention.

In football, five years is a long time. Manchester United's summer 2021 was viewed as a turning point in the era of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The most eye-catching transfer at the time was signing Cristiano Ronaldo. After years of consistent team building, Manchester United lost its way.

But at that time, even before Cristiano Ronaldo signed, there was widespread hope across Old Trafford. Manchester United won the opening match of the Premier League season, and there was much talk about how, after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, Manchester United finally had a genuine chance to challenge for the league title. After all, the team had just signed the most promising young English attacker on the market: Jadon Sancho. The club hoped this new signing worth £74 million, alongside Bruno Fernandes, midfielder Paul Pogba and many other talented forwards, would combine into a formidable attacking force.

Jadon Sancho came off the bench in that opening match, and P. Pogba was in peak form, recording 4 assists in the game against Leeds United, equalling the Premier League record for assists in a single match. Manchester United also had Donny van de Beek, signed in 2020 for £35 million, and many expected this former Ajax star to perform brilliantly. There were also academy graduates like Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial. Whether the team still needed Cristiano Ronaldo no longer mattered. In any case, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had an abundance of talented forwards under his command.

Many of these players have gradually faded from view. P. Pogba and Jadon Sancho have become free agents without clubs. This may suggest that, although Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's intentions were good, ultimately these players found it difficult to gel at Manchester United at that time. The Norwegian coach, assisted by Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna, attempted to change the team's style of play from counter-attacking to one emphasising ball possession and game control. But after several painful defeats and home losses to title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool, morale in the dressing room could not be fixed.

"We have to play like Manchester United," Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on the 2024 podcast "Stick to Football." "We can't just sit deep. We can't just counter-attack. We have to be brave and confront opponents directly. Otherwise, being at Manchester United would be meaningless. But we weren't ready at that time. We simply weren't strong enough."

P. Pogba and Jadon Sancho have become typical examples of flaws in Manchester United's transfer planning during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's era, and even during Ed Woodward's tenure as CEO. For years after Ferguson's retirement, Manchester United was keen to chase big-name signings, hoping to sell shirts and attract commercial sponsorships through the influence of superstars.

This strategy peaked with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo: the Glazer family believed that bringing back the Manchester United legend from under Manchester City's nose would be a major public relations victory in terms of fan sentiment.

The signings of P. Pogba in 2016 and Jadon Sancho in 2021, with combined fees of £163 million, mark the beginning and end of Manchester United's profligate spending era during Ed Woodward's tenure and reflect the club's muddled decision-making logic. Manchester United marketed both transfers on social media as "homecomings," with the slogan for Jadon Sancho's announcement stating "This is his home. He belongs here." But the former Borussia Dortmund winger was clearly unprepared to bear such heavy pressure.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer later revealed that Jadon Sancho had an ear infection and required hospital treatment shortly after his transfer was completed, which directly delayed his recovery. "Jadon Sancho was the best option we could find at the time," the Norwegian coach said. "We needed to go further, change our playing style and bring in players who could pierce the opposition's defensive line from the front. Jadon's technique and coordination could bring something new."

Jadon Sancho's career at Manchester United has been unsatisfactory, and the clearest indication is that his departure this summer barely caused a stir. The 26-year-old winger left quietly after his contract expired. In the past three years, he barely played, loaned out to Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea and Aston Villa. Jadon Sancho remains a free agent and major European clubs are no longer pursuing him, with transfer rumours only appearing occasionally this summer.

P. Pogba's situation is similar but more complicated. He was recently released by Monaco after leaving Manchester United at the end of the 2021-22 season. The French midfielder returned to his former club Juventus, but continuous injuries combined with a ban for a performance-enhancing substance saw him play just 12 times for Juventus before the club terminated his contract. After P. Pogba's four-year ban was reduced to 18 months, which he called the end of his "nightmare," he then signed with Monaco. But the World Cup-winning midfielder played just 6 matches for the Ligue 1 side before becoming a free agent again. Will any club still be willing to take a chance on this 33-year-old player?

Marcus Rashford returned to Manchester United rather reluctantly this summer after the club approved his loans to Aston Villa and Barcelona. Bruno Fernandes is the only player from the frontline group in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's era who has remained at Old Trafford since 2021 and has consistently performed brilliantly.

Mason Greenwood played his last match for Manchester United in the 2021-22 season. He was then arrested on charges of rape, and the club suspended him from playing. In February 2023, prosecutors dropped the charges against him, and he was loaned to Getafe before moving to Marseille in 2024 and to Fenerbahçe this summer.

Anthony Martial was never able to compete with Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani for a place in attack and never returned to his best form. Like P. Pogba and Jadon Sancho, he too is now a free agent. His last job was with Monterrey in Mexico.

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

The ups and downs of these players' fortunes serve as a cautionary tale. As Michael Carrick attempts to change Manchester United's playing style and narrow the gap with Premier League leaders, he will undoubtedly learn from these experiences.

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