‘Couldn’t kick a football’ – Paul Scholes named Manchester United’s worst ever signing

As another transfer window opens, it’s worth a reminder that Manchester United have had plenty of disastrous transfers over the years.

Jadon Sancho, Rasmus Højlund and André Onana all fit into this category and that’s only factoring in the past few years.

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While United were once a force to be reckoned with and boasted a squad filled with superstars, Sir Alex Ferguson was still prone to the odd shocker of a signing.

Despite United fans’ best attempts to remove these players from memory, it’s hard to forget the likes of Eric Djemba-Djemba, Bebé and Kléberson, all of whom had little success at the Red Devils.

However, despite all the players mentioned, Paul Scholes revealed the worst player he’d ever seen in United colours during an appearance on The Overlap.

The Red Devils legend saw plenty of world-class players come through the doors at Old Trafford during his 20-year career at the club, but it was not without a few underwhelming arrivals.

In a previous appearance also on The Overlap, a supporter argued that £85million recruit Antony should go down as United’s worst signing of all time, after managing just 11 goals and five assists between 2022 and 2025.

Antony joined Real Betis on loan from Man United in January 2025, and rediscovered some of the form that saw United buy him in the first place.

Scholes also suggested Argentine midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, who he played alongside between 2001 and 2003, should be in contention.

But he eventually settled on another former teammate, goalkeeper Mark Bosnich, who joined United for the second time in his career from Aston Villa in 1999, a decade after previously encountering work visa issues when he first came to the club from Australia.

Scholes continued: “I go back to the goalkeepers, when we had to replace Peter Schmeichel, which was always going to be difficult.’

“Fabian Barthez was a great goalkeeper. I was thinking more like [Massimo] Taibi, Mark Bosnich… I thought he was a good keeper at Villa, Mark.”

Despite Bosnich arriving with a reputation as one of the league’s top keepers, Scholes admitted to being shocked by his condition.

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The 11-time Premier League champion laid into the Australian, saying: “He came to us and was so unprofessional. Honestly, it was ridiculous.

“In shooting practice, you normally have like 15-20 minutes, after three shots he was knackered.

“And I never realised, he couldn’t kick a football! Honestly, I’d never seen anything like it.”

Detailing Bosnich’s shortcomings, Scholes explained: “We played Everton away the first game of the season and none of us picked up on it – he couldn’t reach the halfway line.

“And there was no wind, it was a perfect day. But then you look at his feet… size 14s. Honestly, he was just kicking the floor, big flippers on. Disappointment.”

It clearly wasn’t only Scholes who did not approve of the former Australia international, who would go on to make just 23 league appearances over two seasons at the club before departing for Chelsea in 2001.

Discussing other candidates for United’s worst ever addition Antony, Scholes admitted: “Yeah, when you talk about the money, value for money as well, it’s not been good has it?

“Think of [Alexis] Sanchez as well. Big disappointment from Arsenal.”

Ultimately however, Scholes refused to be swayed from putting Bosnich at the top of his list, confirming: “My worst one? I’m going to go for Bosnich.”

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In the same episode, Scholes also discussed the club’s best ever signing, with two standout names leading the way.

Scholes reserved special praise for French maverick Eric Cantona, who lifted four league titles at Old Trafford after arriving for a £1m transfer fee in 1992.

On whether Cantona is the greatest Premier League signing of all time, he said: “Yeah, I think it has to be. I think they were missing that final piece of the jigsaw and that was him. 

“And for one million quid. I know in those days, it was probably still a bit of money.

“It wasn’t loads and loads of money, but for what he did for the club, for the money, for the worth, for the value, just the influence of him on the football club was incredible.”

Despite this, Scholes then named the club’s all-time record goalscorer as his ultimate winner in this category, finishing: “I was going to say Wayne Rooney is the best.

“Wayne Rooney for £25million was ridiculous. Five league titles, he’s the leading goalscorer, 253 goals.”