You mean those 2 players who won trophies under Jose?
Man Utd will be a massive pull for top players, plus a rebuild and a new manager, they could see it as being in on something special.
On the other side it doesn’t always take the top players. You could argue it takes the right players, Kompany - 5Mil, Robertson - 13Mil, Coleman - 60k.
They won trophies but not ones that players at that level look for or value. They have also gone backwards since then, not forwards.
I don't think most players, particularly foreign players who have no affinity for the club, think long term. They look 1-2 years ahead, no more. Times have changed on that front. Top players want to go to a club that will challenge, and ideally win, now, not in 2-3 yrs time. They know they may not last that long at the club, certainly not when the managers are changing as frequently as they do now at Utd. Bring stability to a club and you may get that but Utd don't have that.
I totally agree about your last line but that is not really how Utd work. They either bring their own youngsters through or pay big. They don't tend to buy bargain players or look in the lower leagues.