Classic transfer: Man United sign South American midfield ace for £28m from Serie A

Man United have been given a boost in their chase for Chile and Juventus man Arturo Vidal following the departure of manager Antonio Conte. If the transfer goes through, fans will hope the South American midfielder with a big reputation settles better than the very expensive Argentine they splashed out on 13 years ago...

Juan Veron's arrival promised so much. The 26-year-old was highly regarded throughout Europe when Sir Fergie dipped into his wallet for the Argentina international in July 2001, but it ended in disappointment.

First that summer, the Red Devils manager handed PSV £19m for striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, then he paid Lazio £28.1m for Veron, who had won the League and Cup double in Italy.

It was hoped these expensive recruits would help United conquer Europe again, having won a hat-trick of Premier League titles, but failed to build on the Champions League glory of 1999, which had been kick-started by the signings of Dwight Yorke and Jaap Stam in 1998.

Veron's manager at Lazio, Sven-Goran Eriksson, had encouraged him to make the move, while the Argentine was pleased to be joining a team with David Beckham, Roy Keane and Paul Scholes in midfield.

There was genuine excitement from the player at joining such an illustrious club. His dad, Juan, had scored against them while playing for Estudiantes in the 1968 World Club Cup and had regaled his son with stories of Old Trafford, so it was an honour to be able to call himself a Man United player.

Could the reigning Premier League champions now go on and establish a period of dominance on the continent? The answer was no.

Veron's arrival meant a tactical reshuffle for Ferguson that negated the cavalier attacking that had characterised United's success over the previous decade, edging Scholes to the periphery and restricting the club's traditional threat from the flanks.

By the end of the 2001/02 season, Arsenal had relieved them of their domestic crown as the Gunners completed the double.

Ferguson responded by tweaking his tactics and United managed to wrestle the trophy back in 2003; though Veron showed flashes of his brilliance, his days at Old Trafford were numbered and he was sold to nouveau riche Chelsea for £15m that year.

But his fortunes in England didn't improve and he spent a season at Stamford Bridge before being loaned to Inter, then first club Estudiantes, returning to Argentina permanently in 2007.