So much has been put out on the transfer policies of Sir Alex Ferguson compared to other managers. Looking at Jose Mourinho’s one year in office, it may be the start of a pattern.

In the last four years, Man United have not won the Premier League since the exit of the long-time manager. Looking at his final years at Old Trafford, Ferguson did something spectacular.

After releasing star forward Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid in a record breaking deal in 2009, the manager spent just £175 million on transfers due to his policies. He got Robin van Persie from Arsenal, amongst others like David de Gea, Chris Smalling, Antonio Valencia, Phil Jones, Ashley Young and Javier Hernandez.

The Scot also convinced Paul Scholes to come out of retirement while making moves for Bebe and Alex Buttner and Gabriel Obertan. Within that time frame, Ferguson lifted two Premier League titles and a League Cup.

Within the same time, he reportedly spent £626 million on wages whilst managing the club and remaining competitive. His deep knowledge and understanding of transfers would have helped him but it was not less impressive.

Since his exit from the team, his three successors David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Mourinho have spent £626 million on players and £906 million on wages. No Premier League has been lifted but one FA Cup by LvG and Community Shield, EFL Cup and Europa League by Mourinho.

While the argument would be that the team has lost their edge and morale, it still does not reduce by an inch Ferguson’s magic. It could be said that the league has evolved, inflation has set in, football has grown more money-conscious but still Ferguson did wonder in his final days at the club.