How Man United would've looked with 10 stars who manager revealed he wanted to sign

Almost a decade later, the list of 10 stars that former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal wanted to bring to Old Trafford makes for interesting reading.

After taking the reins in 2014, Van Gaal was abruptly sacked in 2016, just days after winning the FA Cup. The Dutchman oversaw signings of Anthony Martial, Memphis Depay, Angel Di Maria, and Radamel Falcao, but has since admitted that they were not his top choices, stating in 2020 that he ended up with "third, fourth or fifth-choice players".

In an interview with FourFourTwo, he disclosed his ideal signings would have included proven world stars like Robert Lewandowski, Neymar and Sergio Ramos. Here's what became of the players on Van Gaal's ambitious wishlist...

READ MORE: Erik ten Hag could be condemned at United by a manager who has done more with less

READ MORE: United signed the wrong player in the summer - what happened in Porto was inevitable

During Van Gaal's era, United's attack was in flux, with Wayne Rooney nearing the end of his peak and Marcus Rashford just emerging. Van Gaal lamented inheriting an "old team" and aimed to inject fresh talent, eyeing Lewandowski as a potential game-changer.

"I inherited an old team that hadn't been refreshed for some time," he said. "I wanted to rejuvenate the squad with players who would bring the same kind of quality."

The Polish striker, who was still playing for Borussia Dortmund before he rejected any interest from England to move to Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich in 2014, would have brought that quality.

Who knows what his goal-tally would have looked like if he had been given a chance in the Premier League? Now with Barcelona, the 36-year-old remains a predatory striker, having scored 600 senior goals for