10 Man Utd Players Who Weren't Worth The Hassle

7. David Bellion

If a club is going to become embroiled in a 'tapping up' affair, they should at least make absolutely certain that the player in question is worth it. In the summer of 2003, 19 year old French striker David Bellion was hot property, despite only having found the back of the net once in 20 appearances for a doomed Sunderland side. Accusations were rife within the North-East camp that Manchester United were continuously making 'illegal' approaches to the player without the club's consent. The club's alleged attempts to unsettle the player were labelled 'shabby, despicable, disrespectful, arrogant and unprofessional' as they drew the wrath of then Sunderland chairman Bob Murray.

''They refuse to meet our asking price and have totally unsettled our player both mentally and physically - David has told me that he doesn't feel mentally right to play for Sunderland. The relationship between our two clubs is at an all time low.'' - Bob Murray, January 2003.

In the January transfer window, the Lancashire outfit had refused to meet Sunderland's £3 million valuation of the player, which irked the chairman even further. Six months later, following a report filed to the FA, a £2 million out-of-court settlement was agreed between the two parties in the summer, bringing to an end one bitter transfer saga. Judging by the mark he left at Old Trafford, the Manchester United hierarchy might have wished they hadn't bothered. If there's one thing to gleam from the Bellion debacle, it's that any striker who musters a solitary goal for a side who collects a record low Premier League points haul, is surely not Champions League standard. He continued his miserly goal-scoring form, managing just four in 24 appearances for the Red Devils, before taking in loan spells at West Ham and Nice. David Bellion is just one example of an average player needlessly spoiling relationships between two ambivalent clubs.