It was another abysmal showcase in the Uefa Champions League after Manchester United lost to LaLiga giants Atletico Madrid. It is the third time they have been knocked out in the Round of 16 play off by Spanish teams and the Red Devils have now gone five years without silverware in their cabinet.
Having relied on Alex Ferguson for 27 years in the managerial role, the club had established itself as a formidable side, dominating English and European football. The team had managed to clinch 38 trophies under his reign and they were a force to reckon with. But since his retirement, the club has been on the ropes with hierarchical changes which have significantly affected the clubs stability both on and off the pitch.
The Red Devils have been the biggest spenders for the last decade with over £1.3 billion splashed but the results on the pitch seem to be in contrast with their spendings.
United have had five managerial changes in less than eight years which is a worrying factor when it comes to the stbility of the team. David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have all seen the sack. Of the four managers, only Van Gaal and Mourinho were able to win silverware in their cabinet to present day. Van Gaal won the FA Cup at the end of the 2015/2016 season and was sacked a few days later, while Mourinho won the Europa League and the League Cup in 2016/2017 season.
Man United’s executive vice chairman, Ed Woodward was on the receiving end of approving transfers and poor scouting after the signings of the likes Memphis Depay, Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria who later underperformed. The Theatre of Dreams has become a comfort zone for even rivals as they can easily glide in and sneak in a point or even walk home as victors.
Radical measures were taken in a bid to improve United with the grand signings of Paul Pogba, Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo but the squad is still struggling to get the desired results. Could this be just a bad phase or is it just the end of an era? Only time.
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