5. William Prunier
Neal Simpson/EMPICS SportIf you thought Massimo Taibi's signing was strange, with the goalkeeper only making four appearances for Manchester United, then the acquisition of William Prunier in 1995 was stranger still. The Frenchman was a trialist at United prior to the 1995-96 season and even bought his way out of his contract with former club Bordeaux for the privilege of playing in a red shirt. Hoping to follow in the footsteps of esteemed countryman Eric Cantona, Prunier got off to a good start, providing an assist against QPR in his debut for his new side. He was originally intended to only play in reserve matches but an injury crisis pressed him into league action once more, against Spurs, which United lost 4-1. Prunier was made a scapegoat for the defeat and never played for the Red Devils ever again, with his second appearance for the club being his last.