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Europe’s top flights in football boast giants that have dominated from the moment their inception was created, as well as their league.

In Spain, Real Madrid have dominated the coveted Champions League with a commanding 15 wins in the competition, while FC Barcelona their bitter rivals have also a staggering 37 trophies overall, which changes year-by-year with Real Madrid who have 36 as well, including 18 La Liga titles since 1990.

Italy has the biggest competition of skill and technicality with both Juventus and Inter Milan being in the top 10 clubs with the most trophies since 2000, while AC Milan, Inter’s rival, sits 3rd in the Serie A ranking for most league trophies with 19. Newcomers to consistent gold AS Roma, Atalanta, and Fiorentina, as well as familiar giants such as Napoli, Lazio, and Bologna all fight for the prized Scuddeto every season.

Germany has the biggest margin from 1st to 2nd, as Bayern Munich sits atop all clubs with the most trophies overall with 48, with Borussia Dortmund only becoming competition within the last 20-25 years with 5 Bundesliga titles, for the record Bayern Munich have 33. Newer giants such as Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig are fighting to dethrone Bayern, with Bayer Leverkusen going undefeated all 23/24 season to win the Bundesliga.

France also has this dominance with PSG historically being the winningest club in all of France with a record 12 past years out of 13 as Ligue 1 champions overtaking Saint-Etienne as the club with the most league titles in France. (Lille winning in 2020-21). Newer clubs such as Stade Brestois, OM, Lyon, and Monaco have also entered the mix but remain consistent as well.

The one word that follows everyone in Europe is consistency. A word that builds legacies, creates championships, and pushes one club from being within average reigns in a league, to the top of the mountain. Which then brings us to England.

In England, the Premier League has always been considered to be where the best football is played in the world, considered by the fans at least. There isn’t just one or two clubs that rule this league (although it seems the trend in the past 5 years) there has long been considered a “Big 6” that runs the league. These “Big 6” are Arsenal, who last won the league in 2004 and a major trophy in 2020 winning the FA Cup 2-1 against Chelsea, another of the “Big 6” which last won the league in 2017. Liverpool who are the current reigning 24/25 Premier League champions, with Manchester City winning the last 4 in a row, before it was Liverpool in 2018/19, and Man City 2 years in a row before that.

Tottenham is the newer of them all to be in this “Big 6” although they have never won the Premier League they do have the 24/25 Europa League, and 07/08 EFL Cup under their belts, however, they have not won the English league since 1961 when the Premier League was a mere thought.

One team remains in this “Big 6”, Manchester United. Having won the league last in the 12/13 season, and having a major trophy back in 2017 with their Europa League final victory over Ajax 2-0, Manchester United have now finished the 24/25 season in 15th, the lowest the club has ever been in their history (Tottenham finished in 17th, also their lowest, however they will play Champions League football next season due to their first major trophy, as previously mentioned).

In 23/24 despite an atrocious season, Manchester United would finish 8th, and 22/23 they would finish 3rd. So why is their positioning and performance overall getting worse? It goes back to that one word: consistency.

Where Do The Mistakes Begin? –

After almost 20 years of Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm of Manchester United, and 38 trophies overall, including 13 Premier League titles and legends galore that are etched into Premier League history, there have been 10 managers in the last 12 years, since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and a measly 6 trophies, and no league titles. So, What happened to the Red Devils?

Well that’s the issue. No one actually knows who to blame. Depending on who you ask, it can range from management, to ownership, to the players, to the tactics. What if it was all of these and the culture is really what is holding Man United back? To further understand, we should take a deep dive into each category that needs to be held responsible for the downfall of the club, and that is just about all of them.

Players Galore –

A total of £2.05 Billion has been used since the last time Man United won the league to bring in a myriad of talents that were expected to lift the Red Devils back to glory. An Alexis Sanchez coming in from a hot tenure at Arsenal who for £34 million did half of what he did for Arsenal, not to his discredit. An aging Zlatan Ibrahimovic brought in on a free from PSG to pair alongside Romelu Lukaku a year later signed for £85 million from Everton, slated as the next Wayne Rooney, yet the team arguably let this duo down. Which also included a record breaking at the time, £105 million Paul Pogba from Juventus to his boyhood club Man United, becoming more injury prone, and poor performances impacting his level of play. Pogba then returned to Juventus in 2022 on a free transfer after his contract expiration with Manchester United. Pogba would only feature in 8 games for Juventus in the next two years, and also be banned for two seasons in 2024, due to an anti-doping scandal. Pogba has now signed with Monaco and is expected to play with them in the upcoming 25/26 season.

The problem for the players being brought in is a very similar story to how it starts, and ultimately ends at their time at Old Trafford. Buy high, sell low, or in some cases for nothing, and then look for another player to repeat this cycle. However, arguably United’s PR has gotten even worse over the past few years due to this cycle being exposed in the worst manner possible with their loan moves/transfers out of the club being proven talents the moment they step foot outside of United’s grounds.

Going into the 23/24 season, which would end up being Manchester United’s most successful season in the past 10 years, finishing 3rd, Erik Ten Hag, new manager at the time was brought in with the hopes that his incredibly deep run with Ajax in the Eredivise would translate to the Premier League and lift up United once again. Three players were brought in this season that were headliners for the club, with two having previously played under Ten Hag.

Antony is the first of the bunch, £105 million would be paid for Antony to come into the club from Ajax with promises to bolster the attack and add danger down the right wing, a side that was ignored and questioned within the past few seasons. The then 22-year-old Brazilian looked very promising and showed signs of a world class talent with the right skills and guidance. Well, after 96 appearances with Manchester United, in all competitions, Antony has scored 12 goals and contributed to 5 assists, a total of 17 goal contributions within that time span, or an average of 0.18 goal contributions per game. In the 24/25 season amidst a disastrous run of form in the Premier League, the Red Devils would send some players on loan, including Antony, being sent to LaLiga with Real Betis. With Antony having only 26 appearances for Betis since he was loaned in midway throughout the season, scoring 9 and assisting 5 goals, a total of 14 goal contributions, in only 26 appearances, which is world class. and bringing his average goal contribution to 0.54 per game, which only rivals the top players in the world.

Antony within two seasons went from having a market value of about £80 million, to £24 million. If it wasn’t for his stint at Real Betis he would still be at £24 million, but is now about £47 million. If Manchester United goes through with selling Antony to Real Betis, which is what we want to see him do, succeed, they would probably be getting back about half if not a little less than what they paid for.

Considering the other two players mentioned that season alone, Casemiro although aging and considered one of the best midfielders at the time for Real Madrid, was brought in and vastly improved the midfield. However, Manchester United had to pay £60 million with £10 million added on in bonuses, which has now been devalued four seasons later at only £15 million. This impact has been due to Casemiro now being 33, but also his form being incredibly spotty, especially with important games on the line including a 3-0 beating against Liverpool in the 23/24 season, with two of those goals coming from Casemiro’s errors. Lisandro Martinez was brought in as a 5’10” Center back and has since been very consistent in form, but it is very evident that he is not the greatest option to pair with the newest addition in Matthjis De Ligt, who is younger and more experienced in bigger moments than Martinez, yet another player having played under Erik Ten Hag.

Now with news coming out a few weeks ago about five players being placed on the chopping block in, Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Tyrell Malacia, and Alejandro Garnacho, The Red Devils may be looking to clean house and move on from the baggage that Ruben Amorim seems to believe is holding the team back.

Rashford is reportedly linked to Barcelona, after the Catalunian side failed to sign wonderkid Nico Williams from Athletic Club after signing a ridiculous, but respectable 10-year deal with the club. However, it does seem Barcelona would like to test out the English winger as their thought process is to loan him in with an option to buy valued around £30-40 million.

Antony is set to seek his own venture with Real Betis as the Spanish side is seeking to buy him at any means necessary, as the deal they are seeking is to come with installments for the Brazilian’s services. Although again, valued close to £50 million, United would have to take the brunt of the deal if they do accept payments because of them not having the money readily available to them, even if it does turn out to be a much bigger deal, which both Antony and Real Betis seem keen to do.

Sancho is being pursued by Juventus and Inter Milan, however, the Juve deal is being pursued as a swap deal with up and coming Serbian striker, Dusan Vlahovic, who coming off of a 17 goal in 44 appearances campaign for the Old Lady, is also having a saga of his own, which may see him having conflicts with Juventus which has lead to this transfer to begin. Sancho is valued at £25 million, which is close to £50 million less than what United paid for the English winger. Inter and Juve have both agreed to pay the £25 million, with Borussia Dortmund looming in the background to scoop him up again, however the biggest obstacle will be his high wages, which will see many clubs back out if not careful.

Another crazy transfer is Scott McTominay who was sold to Napoli for the 24/25 season in January and became a pivotal piece of that team, after their squad had some big departures in Kvichka to PSG and the saga of Oshimen being sent out on loan to Galatasaray, McTominay was paired alongside a hot in-form Romelu Lukaku to secure the Scudetto for the Italian giants, with McTominay poetically scoring a scissor kick in the last game of the season to secure the league, McTominay was sold to Napoli from United for £25 million and is now worth £50 million.

Malacia, the 25-year-old Dutch fullback was brought in to boost the backline from Feyenoord, but not via his own doing, injuries have set him back substantially, seeking a move now to Scottish giants, Celtic, the full back being brought in for £15 million, can easily be moved for £8-12 million regarding his age. Meanwhile Garnacho is the most interesting of the bunch. At only 20, Garnacho is still a very promising player, but definitely needs more experience, and with a rotating squad and system, as well as a team well within its realms of rebuilding, its best to develop him in a set system. Arsenal seem to be the front-runners for the young Argentine, but Chelsea and ironically enough, Tottenham are also keen on the Argentine, valued at around £45-50 million, which would be pure profit for the club since he is a homegrown talent.

The Future? –

With these looming exits and an estimated £130-170 million potentially for those combined 5 players, Man United are seeking to move on and look for other options but is proving to be incredibly difficult.

A new striker was secured in the Premier League proven 25-year-old Matheus Cunha from Wolves, to rival Rasmus Hojlund who’s own future is up in the air, but more transfer news comes and goes as to who may be arriving at the club or not.

Starting from the back in Goal, Onana’s replacement is lined up, despite him wanting to fight for his spot at the club after a very clumsy two seasons, with World Cup Winning Emi Martinez as the main option for the club as their new no.1. However, does replacing a 29-year-old GK with a 32-year-old GK solve the problem? In the case of passing the torch from Peter Schmeichel to Edin Van Der Sar yes, but it was a very different club at the time. 25-year-old Marco Carnesecchi, as well as English international Jordan Pickford have also been named, but none of these options seem as presumed as Martinez.

In the back line, the RWB/RB position seems safe for Mazraoui, while in the CB role, more than likely United will try to play the younger options such as Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven, over guys like Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez. At LWB/LB, Patrick Dorgu seems like the main man to develop this position, consistently performing for the club since his arrival, while in the Central Midfield, Casemiro and Mason Mount want to fight for their respective positions, with the deserving Kobie Mainoo hopefully being the starting option. Wingers, United don’t have many anymore, considering four are being let go of, as well as Diallo, United’s breakout star, probably playing a more central role due to Amorim’s tactics. Bruno Fernandes will definitely be a part of the club while the attack seems to be questioned as to who will bolster it going forward.

Victor Oshimen had a very real chance of going to United two seasons ago, but it has not happened since, and with Napoli’s tensions with the Nigerian striker, hopefully he can show up for the Red Devils. With PSG also looking to bring in the Nigerian striker, as well as Galatasaray all but confirming the deal, despite the £75 million release clause from Napoli, hopes seem thin.

Bryan Mbeumbo came days after the unveiling of Cunha as a signing to be all but set for a move to Manchester United, however talks with Brentford have now been going on for close to a month, and the price is simply not being met. Other targets now include Moise Kean, Jean-Phillipe Mateta, Pervis Estupinan, Hugo Ekitike, Ollie Watkins, Benjamin Sesko, Nicholas Jackson, as well as shorter term options such as Jamie Vardy, Callum Wilson, or Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Although all of these names are very convincing that Manchester United are prioritizing moves throughout this summer, not a single one has been confirmed besides Cunha, which really questions the state of the club even more, considering the exits that could be expected. Plus, an even bigger question arises, which one of these players will truly adapt to Amorim’s tactics which lines up from a 3-5-2 (almost 3-5-1-1 because of a CAM instead of a second Striker being used), to a 5-3-2/5-3-1-1 formation which does not prioritize its wingers, but the build up play through the midfield with a higher defensive line. Which brings us to the next point on the club to touch upon, the gaffers.

Confusion of Strategy –

There was a time where the position for Manchester United gaffer was solely an afterthought, especially after a 17 year tenure from Sir Alex Ferguson. We can go deep into Sir Alex Ferguson’s genius, and why he is heralded by many as the greatest manager of all time, but it’s best to turn the attention to the 13 years that have not seen Sir Alex Ferguson at the wheel.

7 trophies have only been won between the 13 years where Sir Alex Ferguson has hung up the boots, so to speak, with 6 managers taking the reigns of the team, and not a single league title to any of their names, bar Amorim yet, if it happens. Although it is very difficult to win a league title, especially the Premier League title altogether, with a club as successful as Manchester United have been in their history, it is expected for them to continue their winning ways regardless.

From the moment Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and David Moyes, alongside Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs as his assistant would be appointed to take the helm, only sour times would follow. Less than one season for David Moyes, prompting Ryan Giggs to finish the season as the interim head coach until Netherlands head coach, Louis Van Gaal would come in for his turn.

Van Gaal would only be at United from the 2014/15 season to the 2015/16 season. 2014/15 was the first ever season Manchester United would go trophyless, including a 4-0 beating at the hands of MK Dons in the then EFL Cup. 2015/16 would see them beat Crystal Palace 2-0 in the FA Cup final, but also disastrously be taken out of the Champions League and into the Europa League, at the hands of PSV and Wolfsburg, which would then poetically see them be knocked out of the Europa League, in the round of 16, at the hands of archrivals, Liverpool.

Van Gaal out, Jose Mourinho in for the 2016/17 season, which admittedly did shine some light on the situation, a 2-0 victory over Ajax in the Europa League final, as well as 3-2 over Southampton in the EFL Cup final as well. Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a 28 goal season, but was a then 33-year old striker going to be the answer for the club? Although finishing 6th in the league they did play Champions League football next season due to their Europa League final victory, and only 5 losses in the Premier League, however, all 5 against teams that were big clubs, which presented the problem even more. Although a well rounded squad, the glaring holes were definitely showing for United.

Somewhat similar story for United in the 2017/18 season as they finish 2nd in the league, but 19 points behind also archrivals, Manchester City, who was on a whole other level in the world of football at the moment, also cracking 100 points. Loss in the FA Cup final against Chelsea, yet another failure against a big club, Loss to Bristol City in the 5th round of the EFL Cup, topping their Champions League group, but finally then losing to Sevilla in the Round of 16.

Supporters were now losing hope again, as although Lukaku came in to score a respectable 27 goals, the team was now losing its structure, and losing hope in the “Wonder Boy” Jose Mourinho. 2018/19 Mourinho would be sacked after their 3-1 loss to Liverpool, as well as the team surprisingly being in 6th after 17 league games. Ole Gunnar Solskjær would now have his go at it, coming in midway through the season, maintaining the club in 6th, as well as a disastrous 3 wins in their final 10 league games. Crashing out of the Champions League by squeezing out of their group and moving past PSG in the round of 16, but losing 4-0 on aggregate to Barcelona. FA cup saw them losing to Wolves, while in the EFL Cup they couldn’t make it past their first game.

2019/20 was now seen as a new horizon, Solskjær would bring in Bruno Fernandes and bolster the attack in a very possession heavy, midfield-minded squad, with the team placing 3rd in the league, while simultaneously getting results against those big clubs, and archrivals. Of course, not to ignore the COVID-19 pandemic did push the season back, with it being suspended in March and to come back behind closed doors in June, with United not losing a single game within that time span, in the league. In fact not having lost a league game since January. The FA Cup saw them crash out to Chelsea in the semi-finals, while Man City took them out of the EFL Cup in the semis as well. The Europa League also saw them lose in the semi-finals to Sevilla in the then formatted one leg fixture due to the pandemic. Although no trophies, Rashford, Martial, and Fernandes did breath life into this fast-paced and hungry group. 57 goals between the trio, the dawn of a new era certainly seemed imminent.

2020/21 did see some interesting highlights and lowlights. 2nd in the Premier League, still 12 points behind champions Man City, including a record-breaking 9-0 victory over Southampton. Crashing out of the quarter-finals of the FA Cup against Leicester City, and semi-finals of the EFL Cup against Man City. While they lost form in the Champions League in the group stage, being sent down to the Europa League, then losing to Villareal in the final on penalties. Although Rashford and Fernandes did incredibly, Martial was held back by injuries, with Cavani being brought in to clean up any mess they had, again another semi-successful season with no silverware to show.

2021/22 could be attributed as the spiral into madness. Cristiano Ronaldo would return to the club after his stints at Juventus and Real Madrid, meanwhile Solskjær would only last until November of 2021 before Erik Ten Hag would come in to take the driver’s seat, the following season with Ralf Rangnick coming in to finish the season off in December 2021. 6th place in the league, 1st and 2nd round exits out of domestic cups, round of 16 Champions League exit to Atletico Madrid, all while Ronaldo had 35 goals, meant next season had a lot of work to do.

2022/23 was the beginning of the Erik Ten Hag era, and simultaneously the start of a shift in the culture at Manchester United. 50 straight home games going undefeated this season, yet only a Carabao Cup to show for it, but ending in a promising 3rd place finish in the Premier League, with an on-fire Marcus Rashford who ended with 30+ goals this season. However, not everything was super sweet, as Ronaldo came out publicly to denounce the club and its actions and lack of motivation for winning, prompting a breakup potentially too early in the making, painting Ten Hag as the villain, but showing a tenacity throughout the season that proved the team had the will to try to win.

Ten Hag played an interesting style but did have to make up for the lack of a striker on the team. A rotation between Rashford, and an incoming on-loan Wout Weghorst, who would make up, a slight bit for the lack of the role being filled. Winger heavy, possession based, counterattacking, explosive football was the brand for Ten Hag. However, with more central based teams that also faced pacey attacks, such as Liverpool at the time, ended up dominating the team to a very decisive degree, that degree being a 7-0 loss at Anfield this same season. With a lack of silverware to show for it, United were in line to improve from here, with some holes in their defense and shoes to fill, it all seemed lined up for the Red Devils to take the reigns back.

Yet along came the 2023/24 season, the downfall of Erik Ten Hag, and a style of play and accountability that flew out the window. Players that were brought in from last season took a major step back, and new striker Rasmus Hojlund only showed up for the Champions League fixtures, scoring 4 goals in the group stage United did not get out of, involving Bayern Munich, Copenhagen, and Galatasaray, but did defeat Man City in the FA Cup final, following 2 losses to them in the Premier League fixtures they played. From the beginning of this season, it was clear Ten Hag was having a change of heart by complaining about referees more than holding any performances accountable throughout the season, which only hurt the team more than it helped.

The beginning of the 2024/25 season was very interesting. Erik Ten Hag had, controversially, been signed on for another 2 seasons amidst the FA Cup win, but only placing 8th in the league. However, by October of the 2024/25 season, Ten Hag was then promptly sacked, after a start so bad that saw United in 14th place, with Ruben Amorim coming in to takeover and leading the team to only place 15th in the Premier League, but a completely different style of play introduced that did work in the Europa League, reaching the final, but falling to Tottenham 1-0.

2025/26 and beyond – Is Amorim The Answer?

A new system, yet the same mistakes do make it seem like the players on the current squad may not be suited to takeover an attack heavy level of play Amorim is known to play. A shifty tactician that with Sporting allowed Amorim to shine because of a capable striker, and help backtracking along the wings. Without one or the other, this team is suited to fail again for the 25/26 season coming up.

Although, some changes have been developing within the last few weeks of writing this article, including the Bryan Mbeumo saga finally wrapping up and United unveiling him for £65 million plus £6 million in add-ons, which was low-balling what Brentford was reportedly asking for which was £80-85 million. Rashford has now officially been loaned out in an option-to-buy for Barcelona, as well as more interest being shown by Aston Villa for Alejandro Garnacho, Juventus for Rasmus Hojlund, and the one that would hurt the most if it does happen, Tottenham for Kobie Mainoo. But, will these departures hurt or help the team in the long run?

Ever since I was a kid, watching Manchester United was a marvel. Wayne Rooney was always my favorite player, but every other player had an aura to them that presented such a legendary translation of the club, a passion that burned brightly with the help of the candle being Sir Alex Ferguson. However, after all of these trophies, all of those Premier League titles, archrival matchups that were decided to swing the Red Devil’s way no matter what, it is time to accept this is not the same club that we grew to admire. Although I don’t believe that Manchester United will fizzle out into obscurity like previous European/English giants such as Blackburn Rovers who now eternally reside in the Championship, as well as respected ex-Premier League threats in Coventry City, Swansea City, Stoke, and Birmingham, there is no way to believe that Manchester United will walk into next season as Premier League favorites.

So yes, it is the players, it is the coaches, to a degree, it is absolutely management although I am avoiding to be political about this subject, but above all, it is the culture and the fans who are at fault the most. As a fan, we need to believe in the players more than hurting their chances at developing by lambasting 1 or 2 wrong decisions. Take for instance Antony, a player who was made fun of into obscurity because of his actions, yet when he is taken seriously at Real Betis, he finds his footing, because there they are not laughing AT him, they are laughing WITH him. Antony knows about his antics, yet it shouldn’t be used as banter to ruin his own chances to shine on the pitch. As fans, we need to support and continue to give shouts to the players who play their hearts out every game. Encourage and stand behind the Red Devils to see the glory hopefully come back some time soon, even though the club is in a much better position than a lot of teams that were once known as giants, i.e. Lyon in France dealing with relegation and bankruptcy, or Bordeaux, six time Ligue 1 winners, now out of professional football because they cannot afford to be in it.

The 2025/26 season will not be an extravagant one, and it shouldn’t be expected to be. Manchester United will learn and develop, hopefully under the wing of Ruben Amorim who has turned a club or two around and made them threats. As with the departures, the culture could be shifted to be taken seriously while still holding players accountable while encouraging and not ripping their reputation apart. Some younger prospect such as Yoro, Mainoo, Ugarte, Diallo will shine the most this upcoming season, but all that remains is to see the beginning of the path, to the glory days where Manchester stood Red.