Where are Jose Mourinho's first eight Man Utd signings now? | OneFootball

Highlights

Manchester United have had some feisty managers over the years, but few were more divisive than Jose Mourinho.

Having excelled during spells with Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, Mourinho was tipped to be the first manager post-Alex Ferguson to bring the good times back to Old Trafford. While the Portuguese coach might have won three major honours during his three years with the club, the jury remains out as to whether Mourinho's time with United can be considered a success.

Part of that is because of his mixed record in the transfer market, which saw the Red Devils splash big money on some pretty useless talent. In recognition of this, GIVEMESPORT have taken a look back at the first eight signings of the Mourinho era to see where they are now.

1 Eric Bailly

The first signing made by Mourinho as United boss, Eric Bailly arrived from Villarreal early on in the 2016/17 transfer window, costing the Red Devils a whopping £30 million.

Bailly would end up outlasting Mourinho at Old Trafford, making a total of 113 appearances across his six-year stay, but injuries would end up hampering the defender's ability to establish himself in the side long-term.

A season-long loan at Olympique de Marseille would take him away from Old Trafford for the 2022/23 campaign, while the Ivory Coast international would eventually depart the club for good the following campaign, joining Turkish side Besiktas.

2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Part of Mourinho's transfer strategy as United manager was to target big-name signings, with few bigger - both physically and metaphorically - than Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The former Juventus and Barcelona man arrived in Greater Manchester as part of a free transfer, initially signing a one-year deal, which would eventually be extended for a further season.

A move to Major League Soccer to sign for LA Galaxy would come after his time at Old Trafford, before Ibrahimovic returned to AC Milan to help fire the Rossoneri to the Serie A title during the 2021/22 campaign. The dominant striker would eventually call time on his illustrious playing career in 2023 following 24 years as a professional.

3 Henrikh Mkhitaryan

One of the biggest signings from a monetary point of view during Mourinho's tenure, Henrikh Mkhitaryan joined the three-time European champions as part of a £30 million move from Borussia Dortmund.

Signing a four-year contract at the club, Mkhitaryan would notch up 63 appearances during his two years, with his most memorable contribution winning United's 2016/17 Goal of the Season award for a scorpion kick against Sunderland.

The Armenian international would go on to sign for Arsenal after his time with United, prior to joining Roma in 2019 and then making the switch across Italy to Inter Milan, where the now 34-year-old remains to this day.

4 Paul Pogba

The biggest signing of the Mourinho era at United, Paul Pogba completed his eagerly-awaited return to Old Trafford in the summer of 2016, putting pen to paper on a £93 million move from Juventus.

It's safe to say though the move did not pay off for either United or Pogba, with the midfielder's injury-ridden spell finally coming to an end when his contract expired in June 2022.

Returning to Juventus on a free transfer, it had looked as if Pogba would be able to rebuild his career with the record Serie A champions, but the World Cup winner is currently under investigation for a failed drug test.

5 Victor Lindelof

Switching over to the 2017/18 campaign now, Victor Lindelof arrived at Old Trafford from Benfica for a fee rumoured to be in the region of £40 million and has remained at the club ever since.

The only first-team signing made during Mourinho's spell who is still contracted to the Red Devils, Lindelof has registered over 240 appearances for United and is held in high regard by the supporters.

Lindelof is one of eight United stars whose contracts are set to expire at the end of the 2023/24 season, with the defender's last renewal having come two years after he joined in September 2019.

6 Romelu Lukaku

The major signing of Mourinho's second pre-season in charge of United, Romelu Lukaku joined the 20-time English champions for an eye-watering £75 million in the summer of 2017.

Much like Pogba from the season prior, Lukaku's United career will be remembered as a distinct failure, with the Belgian international playing less than 100 matches during his two-year stay.

However, unlike with Pogba, United were able to recoup the majority of their income, with Inter Milan taking Lukaku off their hands for £73 million in August 2019.

The striker would be back in the Premier League two years later though, this time signing for Chelsea as part of a £100 million deal, before going back to Inter Milan the season after and eventually rocking up at Roma ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

7 Nemanja Matic

A fixture in the United starting-11 beyond Mourinho's exit from United in 2017, Nemanja Matic reunited with the Portuguese manager at Old Trafford in 2017, with the two having previously worked together at Premier League rivals Chelsea.

In fact, it was Stamford Bridge where United poached the then 28-year-old midfielder from, with the Red Devils said to have paid Chelsea £40 million for the Serbian's signature.

Featuring over 180 times for United, Matic would leave Old Trafford following the 2021/22 season, where he would move to Roma to be managed by Mourinho once again. Their latest link-up would only last one year though, with Matic now a regular for Stade Rennais in the French first tier.

8 Alexis Sanchez

Finally then, Mourinho's final signing as United boss and a controversial piece of business which involved another player from this list...

Joining the club partway through the 2017/18 season, United beat off competition from local rivals Manchester City to sign Sanchez, with former Mourinho signing Mkhitaryan used as a makeweight in the deal.

The pair would complete a swap deal during the 2018 January transfer window, as Sanchez moved to United from Arsenal, with Mkhitaryan going in the opposite direction.

Sanchez would spend just one full season at Old Trafford, before moving over to Inter Milan on an initial season-long loan, only to make his stay permanent in 2020.