At first glance Diego Forlan's career at Manchester United is little to write home about - 17 goals in 97 appearances would be seen as impressive for a defender but for a striker it is far from palatable.
Forlan's story at Old Trafford nearly never actually began at all. Having impressed in Argentina with Independiente, the then 22-year-old had caught the eye of Middlesbrough who had scouted the striker intensely ahead of the 2002 January transfer window.
ALSO READ: United give Martial injury update
Boro were under no illusions though. They understood from their first conversation with Forlan's representatives that trying to sign South America's next great talent would be a difficult task.
"When we first initiated negotiations with Independiente for the player we did realise that there was an awful lot of competition throughout Europe for his services," Steve McClaren, the manager of Middlesbrough at the time and now a key part of Erik ten Hag's backroom staff at United, explained. "Nothing is over until everybody has signed on the dotted line."
So it would prove and, in the end, money would fuel Forlan's eventual destination.
"The offer was bigger for the club, for Independiente, and for me," an excited Forlan declared after his plane touched down in Manchester. "I was going to go to Middlesbrough, but Manchester offered more."
It was a kick in the teeth for the Teesside club but the £6.9m which United splashed out on the Uruguayan was seen as necessary. Teddy Sheringham and Andy Cole had both recently left United for Tottenham and Blackburn respectively.
The need for a striker who could ease Ruud van Nistelrooy's load was evident and Forlan seemingly fit the ball. His 37 goals in 80 league games in Argentina was nothing to be scoffed at and the potential rewards outweighed the risks.
Like with most new, young signings, Forlan's debut came off the bench. Replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who had bagged a hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers in the 75 minutes previous, the new arrival in Manchester imposed himself well on his first appearance.
Despite not finding his way onto the scoresheet that day, another new striker in Manchester gave Forlan the seal of approval. "With Diego we have got a very young and talented player," Van Nistelrooy said.
"He only came on for the last 15 minutes, but you could see that he has a lot of potential. He’s very, very quick, has two great feet and I think at 22 years of age, he has a great future."
Little did Van Nistelrooy know how good Forlan would become. Sadly for the Uruguayan though his chances to show this in the first team were few and far between.
Solskjaer and Van Nistelrooy were both in brilliant form and with opportunities to break into the first team limited, Forlan would end the 2001/02 campaign without a goal to his name. His overall form in the 18 appearances he made during his first half-season in English football did earn him slightly more than a consolation: a call-up to the Uruguay squad for the 2002 World Cup.
However, ahead of the showpiece tournament, a young Forlan was still smarting about not scoring for the Reds. "I’m a little bit upset with myself that I have not scored yet for Manchester United," he admitted. "I’ve tried hard and sometimes I’ve been unlucky and other times I could have done better. It would be great if I could score a goal in the World Cup."
Forlan's hopes for his time in Japan and South Korea would come true. The 22-year-old buried a chance for his country against Senegal in a 3-3 thriller in the group stages.
On his return to Manchester, hopes were high that he would kick on at United. Non-competitive goals against Shelbourne and Chesterfield would fall his way but it would take Forlan until his 27th appearance for him to bag his first for the club in a competitive fixture.
His penalty in a Champions League tie against Maccabi Haifa sent Old Trafford into raptures and earned Forlan praise from Sir Alex Ferguson, who declared: "If you put that amount of effort in you should get something. Hopefully he will settle down now and get lots more."
'Lots more' would never arrive for Forlan in Manchester but he would end the 2002/03 campaign with nine goals to his name, two of which secured him his place in Reds fans' hearts forever.
Forlan made the most of a start at Anfield to write his name amongst the legends. Liverpool, who were unbeaten at home in a year, were vanquished by United 2-1 with the Uruguayan bagging a brace for the Reds.
The performance earned him a chant which is sung from the terraces to this day and secured him cult hero status. Sadly for Forlan at United, he would never hit the heights of that afternoon on Merseyside again.
In the 2003/04 season, he would manage just eight goals and at the end of the season the decision was made to sell Forlan to Villarreal. Of course, the striker would go on to show United exactly what he could do in La Liga.
He scored 25 goals in his first season in Spain and three years later moved to Atletico Madrid where he earned legendary status.
Things may not have worked out quite like he would have wanted but that does not stop Forlan holding United on a high pedestal. When United wanted David de Gea in 2011, the forward worked as an ambassador for his old club, persuading the goalkeeper to move to the Theatre of Dreams. De Gea will make his 500th appearance for United against Newcastle on Sunday.
"Yes, I remember we were playing together at Atletico Madrid," Forlan explained earlier this year to MUTV. "There were some rumours about him going to Manchester United and I said to him: 'You need to go there, it's a very beautiful place; the club, the team, the fans.
"'The only thing [is] it's not the best weather, but it's difficult for you to have everything in life, but you will enjoy it. It's a great city, one of the best clubs in the world, with the people and everything'."
It is rare that a player who statistically fails to perform becomes a hero in the stands. However, Forlan's journey in Manchester is proof that hard work will be valued as highly as ability in the right circumstances.
READ NEXT:
