Five Man Utd wonderkids who failed under Sir Alex Ferguson | OneFootball

Throughout his time at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson was responsible for the development and emergence of some serious wonderkids. The likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Wayne Rooney were all highly touted young prospects who eventually became serious world-beaters under his guidance. His track record is pretty impressive, but it isn't perfect.

There have been more than a few once-promising young footballers who once looked like they would lead the next generation of players, before ultimately falling way short of expectations. Some have fallen way harder than others, though, and there are some players who should have been playing at the highest level following their time with Ferguson, but instead, they ended up playing way below their initial expectations.

We decided to pick out the five biggest examples of promising wonderkids who worked with Fergie at Old Trafford but failed to live up to their initial ability and tell you what happened to them in the years since. So without ado, here they are...

Anderson

While he actually had a solid enough tenure at United, all things considered, Anderson's place on this list is a testament to how highly rated he was when he first arrived at the club. The Brazilian joined Fergie in 2008 and many thought he'd solidify a spot in the club's starting XI for the foreseeable future.

He played a fair amount of football over the years for the Red Devils, making 181 appearances for the team across eight years, but he never quite made that starting role his own. Having played in 24 league games in his first season, he never reached that tally again. After flirting with the starting lineup, while never truly sealing a place in it, Anderson left United in 2015 when he joined Internacional on a free transfer.

He's since spent two seasons with the Brazilian side before a loan spell at Coritiba. He then moved to Adana Demirspor in 2018 and spent two years with them before retiring from football in 2020.

Federico Macheda

After scoring on his debut against Aston Villa, many thought Federico Macheda would go on to become a player capable of leading the frontline for United for quite some time. Having joined the team in 2007 at 17 years old, he excelled in the youth academy and made the most of his opportunity when he was brought on to make his first-team debut against Villa and scored the winner in the closing stages of the contest.

He then scored in his next appearance as well, and it seemed as though the Red Devils had another elite-level striker coming through the ranks. His first two games were the peak of his United career, though, and things were never quite as good again. Between 2008 and 2014, he played 36 times for the English club and scored five goals. It was nowhere near the successful run that many expected from him.

After several loan spells, he joined Cardiff City on a permanent deal in 2014 and had a solid first year at the team. Scoring eight goals in 25 games, but things quickly fell apart. After a further two years at the side, and just eight more appearances, he joined Novara in Serie B, and then spent time at Panathinaikos, before joining his current club Ankaragucu in 2022.

Ravel Morrison

Never has there been a finer example of a player failing to live up to his incredible potential, like Ravel Morrison. The midfielder was regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in the world when he came through the ranks at Old Trafford. There was genuine belief that he'd be one of the best players in the game at some point, but his attitude away from the pitch severely impacted his progression.

Once hailed the best young talent Ferguson had ever seen, he never came close to reaching the potential that he clearly had as a youngster. He never played a single Premier League game for the club and appeared in just three cup games before United gave up on him, and he joined West Ham United.

He spent three years with the Hammers and has since bounced around numerous clubs, failing to ever really find a real home. Morrison joined former manager and teammate Wayne Rooney at DC United in the United States in 2022. He featured on a regular basis in his first season with the MLS team, but was left out of the registered squad this year and hasn't played a game all season. His future in the team looks to be in doubt and things just couldn't have gone worse for a midfielder who was once expected to dominate the Premier League for quite some time.

Giuseppe Rossi

Joining United as a teenager, Giuseppe Rossi had bags of potential and just as much hype surrounding him when he moved to Old Trafford. Signed in 2004, he even scored on his Premier League debut for the Red Devils in a 3-1 win against Sunderland. It looked like Ferguson had found another world-class young player to add to his impressive side.

That was the only goal he ever scored for the club in the league, though, and after just 14 appearances and four goals in all competitions, and a couple of loan spells at Newcastle United and Parma, he was sold to Villarreal in 2007. It was with the Spanish side that Rossi hit his stride too, and he made the Red Devil's decision to let him go look foolish.

Scoring 82 goals for the team, including one 32-goal-season, he became one of the most effective strikers in La Liga, but an injury essentially ruined his momentum in the team, and he moved to Fiorentina during the 2012-13 season. Aside from one solid year in Italy, injuries kept him out of the lineup for large portions of his time with them. Since then, he's spent time at Levante, Celta Vigo, Genoa, Real Salt Lake and SPAL, before retiring this summer. He's since worked as a television pundit covering Italian football for CBS Sport.

Nick Powell

After bursting onto the scene at Crewe Alexandra, Nick Powell looked like one of the most exciting young midfielders in England. His performances for the club caught the attention of numerous clubs in the Premier League, but it was United who managed to bring him in. They spent big on the teenager, and it was believed that he'd eventually secure a place in the team's midfield and lead the way for them in the top flight of English football.

In his first season, he played six times across all competitions for Ferguson's side, scoring one goal. He played just three more times for the club, though, and it became almost immediately apparent that he wasn't quite up to the task of leading the club at such an elite level. Loan spells at Wigan Athletic, Leicester City and Hull City showed glimpses of the talent he had, but it was never enough to convince the Red Devils to take more of a chance on him and in 2016, he was allowed to leave Old Trafford and rejoin the Latics, this time on a permanent deal.

He quickly became the best midfielder at the Lancashire side, and he showed why he was so highly regarded years earlier. After three fantastic seasons with the team, he joined Stoke City and had four years with the Potters in the Championship, playing a key role in their midfield. He was let go by Stoke this summer, though, and surprisingly, made the decision to drop down to League Two where he joined Stockport County to the surprise of many.

He's played five times so far for the team as they sit atop of the table. The spell has gotten off to a bright start, but it's a far cry from the level of football that many expected him to be playing at right now. Not even 30 years old, there's still plenty of time left in Powell's career, so he might climb the divisions once again soon, but it's hard to imagine he'll ever come close to the top flight again.

Over the years, Ferguson was pretty incredible at developing youth and there were so many exciting talents that came through at Old Trafford under his guidance. His track record is as good as anyone's, but there's no denying that he still had some misses and these five are undeniably some of the very biggest. Whether it was injuries, poor attitude or just a general lack of talent, things didn't work out for any of them at the Red Devils, but you can't get every call right. No one can. Still, Fergie did alright, didn't he? Check out the table below to take a closer look at five prospects who failed at United under Sir Alex Ferguson, their statistics while at Old Trafford and what eventually happened to them in the years since their time in Manchester.