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The last signing Sir Alex Ferguson ever made at Manchester United and where he is now
Sir Alex Ferguson signed 105 players during his 27 years at Manchester United.
The Glaswegian had a strong eye for talent, having recruited the likes of Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nemanja Vidic before they fulfilled their immense potential, while unsung heroes such as Park Ji-sung helped create a winning side.
Sir Alex Ferguson spent roughly £669m on these 105 players – less than Manchester United have splashed out since the Scot retired in 2013 – which helped the Red Devils secure 13 Premier League titles, two UEFA Champions Leagues, five FA Cups and many other trophies.
Alan Tonge was the 83-year-old’s first signing at Old Trafford, but who was the last? Let’s take a look.
Wilfried Zaha was Sir Alex Ferguson’s final signing at Manchester United
Wilfried Zaha was actually the last player to move to Old Trafford under Ferguson, who once subbed himself on for Manchester United.
The Red Devils paid £15m to sign the winger from Crystal Palace back in January 2013 – but opted to loan him back to the Eagles to aid their promotion charge, which ended successfully.
However, the decision to send Zaha back to Selhurst Park actually robbed the Abidjan-born forward of the chance to play under Ferguson, who announced his retirement just months later in May.
The Ivory Coast international then failed to impress David Moyes, ending up on loan to Cardiff in that 2013/14 campaign, before a £3m permanent return to Crystal Palace followed in January 2015.
Zaha – who Marc Albrighton rates above Marcus Rashford – still did well for himself at the highest level of English football, scoring 68 goals in 305 Premier League appearances to become Crystal Palace’s record goalscorer in the competition.
The 32-year-old is now on loan at Charlotte FC from Galatasaray, after struggling to settle in Turkey, and also failing to impress during a loan spell at Lyon.
What happened to Alan Tonge?
The aforementioned Tonge became Ferguson’s first signing for Manchester United at the age of just 14 in 1987.
Born in Bury, the youngster struggled to assert himself, and was later released in July 1991, telling The Sun: “Fergie told me, we’re not going to renew your contract, son. I was sick to the stomach and felt like I had taken a punch from a heavyweight boxer. I was discarded like an empty crisp packet after four years there.”
Tonge was later forced to retire just three years later due to a back problem, but earned a degree in sports science, a masters in philosophy and a PhD – leading him to become a lecturer in sports research at UCFB (University Campus of Football Business).