Raphael Varane arrived at Manchester United amid plenty of hype - sadly, his Red Devils stint did not go the way United fans had hoped.

He came from Real Madrid in the summer of 2021 with the reputation as one of the best central defenders in the world; a France World Cup winner in 2018 who had impressed for years with his speed, athleticism, aerial ability and calmness under pressure. He will leave Manchester at the end of the season having won just a single trophy, and being dogged by regular injuries.

Today, we'll be looking at five other players who, like Varane, didn't make much of an impression in the Premier League - despite having an excellent pedigree in other top leagues from across Europe.

Angel Di Maria - Manchester UnitedFirst on our list is Angel Di Maria - outside of an exquisite chipped effort against Leicester City, it is difficult to remember anything of note that the Argentine did during his time with Manchester United.

Di Maria has won the Champions League, the World Cup and several major league titles over the course of his illustrious career - his time at United is a rare anomaly for him in this sense.

Nicolas Pepe - ArsenalArsenal certainly put all of their eggs in the Nicolas Pepe basket when they signed him for a fee of PS72 million in 2019 - sadly, their faith in him was deeply misplaced, as he scored just 16 goals in 80 league games.

Pepe was excellent at Lille, for whom he scored 35 goals in 74 games from the wing. He left Arsenal on a free transfer in 2023, despite there being a year left on his contract - now, he plays for Trabzonspor.

Jo - Manchester CityManchester City have arguably the strongest squad in world football at the moment, thanks to the finances provided by Sheikh Mansour. He, alongside a consortium, took over the club in 2008 - and his money was not always used quite so well. City purchased Jo in 2008, after he scored 30 goals in 53 games for CSKA Moscow. In 21 Premier League appearances for Manchester City, he scored just one goal - his loan stints at Everton weren't much better.

Adrian Mutu - ChelseaAdrian Mutu's time at Chelsea lives in infamy for several reasons. With strong spells at Hellas Verona and Parma under his belt, he looked set to become a success for the Blues - 27 games and six goals later, this hope became little more than a distant memory.

He is perhaps more memorable for his antics off the pitch, rather than his contributions on it. He was banned for seven months after testing positive for cocaine - he was also locked in a court battle with the Blues regarding a breach of contract for over a decade.

Radamel Falcao - Manchester United and ChelseaWe began our list with a Manchester United flop and we will end it with yet another. Radamel Falcao is a unique specimen - not only did he fail to impress at Old Trafford, he also routinely stank out the joint for Chelsea.

Upon his arrival at United, Falcao had an outstanding goal record at Atletico Madrid, having scored 52 goals in 68 league games. Despite this, he could only muster four in 26 games for the Red Devils. The following season, he joined Chelsea on loan and fared even worse - he scored just a single goal in ten games for the Blues.

Falcao has been a success for almost every club he has played for outside of the Premier League - even after his United and Chelsea nightmares, he went on to be a key player for Monaco in Ligue 1.