DECLINE THERED
England’s most successful club has hit at the issues and catalogue of mistakes
MANCHESTER UNITED, the most successful club in the Premier League era and English football history, with 20 title wins, are at rock-bottom.
The 4-1 derby humiliation by neighbours Manchester City showed just how far United have fallen behind their neighbours and local rivals and the scale of the task facing the manager who will be appointed this summer. Here, Mirror Sport looks at the issues and catalogue of mistakes that have plunged United into crisis since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, on the back of their last title win (bottom, left).
OWNERSHIP
THE Glazers have been reviled ever since their takeover of United in 2005, taking more than £1billion out of the club in dividends and treating supporters with contempt. In contrast, Sheikh Mansour has pumped more than £1bn into City, turning them from perennial underachievers into serial winners in a little over a decade. The Glazers have plunged United into debt with their leveraged takeover of the club, with the latest financial figures released last week showing the Reds are now £495m in debt, an increase of £40m. Ed Woodward, who stepped down as chief executive on February 1, was branded a Glazer stooge by fans and held responsible for the failings that beset the club over the past decade.
SIGNINGS
IN the post-Ferguson era their transfer policy has been a shambles, with more than £1bn spent on players since 2013. While City and Liverpool buy and sell superbly and with the minimum of fuss, United are often embroiled in drawnout transfer sagas or end up paying over the odds for players simply not worth their fee. Alexis Sanchez, Morgan Schneiderlin, Memphis Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Angel Di Maria and, more recently, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fred, Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly,
Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Anthony Martial and current skipper Harry Maguire are all glaring examples of a failed recruitment policy. United are also hopeless when it comes to retaining players, with club record £89m signing Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Cavani all out of contract this summer and leaving as free agents. Meanwhile, lucrative long-term contracts have been handed to players at Old Trafford who simply do not make the first team regularly enough, such as Phil Jones.
COACHING
WHILE Pep Guardiola and his staff improve players with their coaching methods, the same cannot be said of United in recent seasons. It is hard to think of a player star who has kicked on as a result of work on the United training ground. If anything, they have all regressed, the likes of Maguire, Wan-Bissaka, Marcus Rashford, Martial and others have gone backwards in their time at United. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was criticised for the make-up of his coaching team, with Ralf Rangnick now facing
the same issues. He has brought in Chris Armas, an American with no Premier League experience who was sacked from two MLS clubs prior to his arrival, as well as Scot Ewan Sharp and sports psychologist Sascha Lense. There has been little evidence of Rangnick’s famed high-pressing style since he took over, with his backroom team failing to get their ideas across to players who are clearly reluctant to listen.
PLAYERS
THERE are obvious divisions and cliques within the United dressing room, despite claims to the contrary. Cristiano Ronaldo flew to Portugal after declaring himself injured and unable to appear in the derby, while Cavani missed his sixth game in a row after deciding he was not fit enough to play. There is a power struggle between Ronaldo and skipper Maguire, with claims many players have lost faith in the latter’s ability to lead the team, because of his own wretched form. The body language on the pitch shows there is little fight or commitment in a fractured squad, who are failing to give their all for the cause. Every time United suffer a big defeat, PR teams employed by players to manage their social media accounts send out messages of defiance and contrition, with fans fed up with the recurring posts and demanding proper action from them on the pitch.
MANAGER
UNITED will appoint their fifth permanent manager in nine years this summer. In contrast, Jurgen Klopp has been at Liverpool since 2015 and Pep Guardiola in charge of City since 2016. Both of United’s big rivals knew the manager they wanted and went out and recruited him, ensuring the right support structure was in place for them to succeed. Before Rangnick, United have gone through David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Solskjaer, none of whom were the right fit and all of whom ultimately failed. The next manager must be given time to succeed, but must also have the right structure and people around him in key positions, making the right decisions, as City and Liverpool have ensured.
GROUND
OLD TRAFFORD is known as the Theatre of Dreams, but is now a mirror of the team – what was once the pride of Manchester is now in a state of disrepair and a shadow of its former self. Under the Glazers, the famous 76,000-seater arena has been neglected and fallen behind Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham, all of whom boast more modern, state-ofthe-art stadia. The roof at the ground leaks, there is no giant screen to inform fans of team news and VAR decisions, and the entire structure needs a major overhaul. The Glazers have vowed to invest, but actions speak louder than words. So far the necessary funds have not been allocated to bring Old Trafford up to standard.