Rio Ferdinand was an imperious presence on the pitch for Manchester United during his playing days, so his voice carries significant weight now he has moved into the world of punditry.
The Englishman spent 12 trophy-laden years at Old Trafford and, since his retirement, continues to share the Red Devils' delight when things are going well - as they are under Erik ten Hag this season - and despair when they are not. United hit a low point in January 2020, when a 2-0 defeat at home by Burnley placed huge pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ferdinand was working as a pundit for BT Sport during the fixture and launched into a passionate speech on how years of poor recruitment had crippled United's ability to compete at the top of the table, or even qualify for the Champions League.
"There is nothing there that suggests to me that this is going to be something that is laying down the foundations for the future. I'm sitting up here and if I'm honest, I'm embarrassed."
Here, Mirror Football takes a look at the six players the former defender used to highlight how £600million had been squandered by club chiefs.
Marouane Fellaini
United shelled out £27.5million to reunite Fellaini with David Moyes as the Scot left Everton to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. The imposing midfielder had a knack of scoring some important goals and lifted the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League during his five-and-a-half seasons with the club, but gradually fell out of favour.
He played bit-part roles under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho but scarcely featured under Solskjaer before joining Shandong Luneng in January 2019. Fellaini, 35, continues to represent the Chinese Super League club and helped them win the title in 2021.
Marcos Rojo
A player who never lived up to expectations with the Red Devils, Rojo struggled to carve out a role for himself across six-and-a-half years on the club's books. Signed from Sporting Lisbon for £16million in 2014, it was never clear whether the Argentine was better as a left-back or centre-back.
He made 41 appearances in all competitions as United won the EFL Cup-Europa League double under Mourinho in the 2016/17 campaign, but played a much more minor role in his other seasons in red, white and black. Rojo, 32, returned to his homeland with a loan at Estudiantes in 2020 and permanently joined Boca Juniors the following year.
His time with the Buenos Aires giants has been characterised by brawls, bans and breaking lockdown rules during the coronavirus pandemic.
Matteo Darmian
Like Rojo, Darmian failed to establish himself as a mainstay in the United backline following his £13m arrival from Torino in 2015. The Italian made 39 appearances across all competitions during his debut season but quickly slipped down the pecking order.
His stock remained high in his homeland, however, and he joined Parma in 2019 before signing for Inter on an initial loan which was later made a permanent deal the following year. Darmian, 33, won Serie A under Antonio Conte in the 2020/21 season and the Coppa Italia last year.
Memphis Depay
Memphis joined United in the same summer as Darmian for a fee of £25m after a meteoric rise at PSV Eindhoven. The Dutch forward was considered one of Europe's hottest attacking prospects but lasted just one-and-a-half years at the Red Devils before joining Lyon in a £22m deal.
Memphis scored a paltry two goals in 33 Premier League appearances but rediscovered his best form with Lyon, going on to earn a transfer to Barcelona in 2021. Due to the Catalans' bloated squad, the 29-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements at Camp Nou this January and was sold to Atletico Madrid in a cut-price deal.
Radamel Falcao
Another prolific forward who flopped at Old Trafford, Falcao's time with United was littered with underwhelming performances and ill-feeling. He joined on loan from Monaco in the summer of 2014 for a fee of £6m - pocketing over £250,000 per week in wages - and there was the option to make the deal permanent the following year for £44m.
There was little chance of that happening, however, as he scored just four goals in 29 appearances in all competitions, while he and his agent, Jorge Mendes, butted heads with Van Gaal. The 37-year-old joined Chelsea on loan the following season, faring little better at Stamford Bridge, and spent three seasons with Galatasaray before joining Spanish club Rayo Vallecano in 2021.
Alexis Sanchez
In one of the most disastrous transfers in Premier League history, Sanchez left Arsenal to join United in January 2018 in a deal which saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan move the other way. The Chilean had been one of the best players in England during his time with the Gunners but found the back of the net just five times in 45 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils.
The man entrusted with the legendary No.7 shirt departed for Inter Milan on loan in 2019 and joined the Italian giants permanently the following year, going on to win Serie A alongside Darmian. He now plies his trade with Marseille and has scored a respectable nine Ligue 1 goals in 20 appearances this season.
