Thomas Hein
Sir Alex Ferguson was hailed for his ability to update, modify, and overhaul his team during his time as Manchester United’s manager to keep them on the winning track.
However, it could be argued that United has failed to assemble even one squad since his departure that compares to any of his best at Old Trafford, with their hiring strategy at the root of the issue.
As soon as the Scot left Carrington for good, United’s era of dominance ended, and it became clear that the team needed to start over after Ferguson’s brilliance was made clear to everyone. United has attempted to return to the top quickly ever since, but the odds with soccer betting tell a different story.
The Glazers have spent a lot of money on players and managers to try to win over the fans, but the lack of a clear organizational structure has resulted in a club that is stagnating.
The Glazers skipped the necessary steps to get back to the top because they believed they could get away with it, unlike teams like Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham who rebuilt.
With almost 10 matches into the league season, United remain outsiders in the race for the EPL title. You can log into Betway for this and more markets.
Beginning with David Moyes, United failed to sign Toni Kroos, Cesc Fàbregas, Leighton Baines, or Gareth Bale. On the final day of the transfer window, they finally succeeded by spending £30 million on Marouane Fellaini of Everton.
The Belgian was by no means a bad player, but he wasn’t the superstar Moyes had envisioned, who would have set the standard for average United signings.
Moyes was sacked in 2014 and replaced by Louis Van Gaal. He established stability, delivered the FA Cup, and offered chances to dozens of young players – but one thing maintained at United: bad recruiting.
The big move that summer was for Argentine Angel Dí Maria, with Van Gaal fond of skilled match-winners in the final third to make the difference and complement his defensive stability – but Dí Maria couldn’t offer that spark.
Following the club’s first FA Cup success in almost a decade and a return to the Champions League, Van Gaal was duly dismissed at the end of the 2015/16 season.
As is typical of LVG, he cleared the way and created the groundwork for another coach to take over, with José Mourinho taking the helm.
This inevitably resulted in an extensive summer spending spree, with Mourinho bringing in Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Eric Bailly, and the aging Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Meanwhile, Liverpool and Manchester City were bringing in Virgil Van Dijk and Aymeric Laporte, who have become huge center-backs in title-winning sides since Sánchez’s departure. By the end of the season, Mourinho finished second, albeit 19 points behind Manchester City.
Some believed that it was a seismic effort given the significant roles that players like Chris Smalling, Ashley Young, and Antonio Valencia played. Still, it should have been the very least following his £350 million transfer investment.
Many thought Mourinho’s ship was about to set sail for a Premier League assault, but the gaping holes below deck had other plans.
Mourinho was fired, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over, turning United’s fortunes around and earning a shot at the top job.
He attempted to change the culture, bring in younger players, and start to build a British core, with his £80 million pursuit of Harry Maguire possibly the most controversial transfer of the post-Fergie era.
After Ole’s departure, United turned to a caretaker boss in Ralf Rangnick. The experienced German was expected to neutralize the Klopp-Guardiola influence in the EPL, but we all know how things turned out. He was replaced by high-flying former Ajax manager Erik Ten Hag. The fortunes haven’t changed for the Red Devils yet, but there is optimism.
United are currently playing in the Europa Cup, and Ten Hag has given an injury update before the Thursday clash with Omonia at Old Trafford.
