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Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United after 12 years promised a lot. Fans expected a season that would've marked the completion of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's project of success in domestic and European competitions.
Fast forward to March, the Norwegian has long been sacked and replaced by Ralf Rangnick on an interim basis. Ronaldo is enduring one of the worst seasons of his career. And United will now go five years without a trophy after Renan Lodi's header at Old Trafford knocked the hosts out of the Champions League round of 16.
The record-holding Premier League champions' domestic form is no better. Their current standing in the table means they are unlikely to compete in Europe's elite competition next season.
Manchester United are stuck in a never-ending cycle. A new manager comes in and shows early signs of progress before the club's hierarchy abruptly decides to ditch the project mid-way.
Rather than addressing the wider issues in the squad, a big-name player is signed, driven by commercial reasons. Manchester United then end the season trophyless to the surprise of no one.
So now, with another summer approaching, let's see what United should do. These changes can help them compete in the Champions League next time as a much more organized side.
1. Right Structure
The decision of who will manage the squad next season is crucial, but before that the Glazers must put a proper structure in place.
Simply hiring the most popular managerial name isn't going to work. Erik ten Hag, Mauricio Pochettino, or anybody else shouldn't be appointed with the idea that he's going to be the messiah to fix everything.
Rather than finding their own Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp, Manchester United should take inspiration from how Manchester City and Liverpool operate behind the scenes.
Moving football minds in John Murtough and Darren Fletcher upstairs is a step in the right direction. But their roles are still undefined.
Fletcher's responsibility at the club changes every other day. On Tuesday, the technical director was on the touch-lines against Atletico and also got booked for complaining.
Meanwhile, who between Murtough and Manchester United's new chief executive Richard Arnold will have the final say remains to be seen.
Rangnick, who will take up a consultancy role at the end of the season, is the only one with the experience of effectively building clubs. As such, his authority shouldn't be undermined. The former Red Bull mastermind should be able to influence the majority of the changes, if not all, in the coming months.
2. Tear Apart
One of the three options that Manchester United are reportedly considering for the Old Trafford redevelopment is knocking down the stadium and rebuilding it from scratch. Now, that's exactly the same approach they need to take with regard to their squad.
There are 14 players with less than two years left to run on their respective contracts. Five of them will be free to leave this summer, including Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard.
In the past, without any sporting plan to back the extensions, United have given such players new deals in order to soar their market value. But now, they need to take Arsenal's approach, and not be afraid of losing big name players for nothing.
United have reached the FA Youth Cup Final for the first time since 2011. They have some of the most exciting talents in the country in their ranks. The only way to give Charlie McNeill, Alejandro Garnacho, and Kobbie Mainoo, among others a proper go in the senior set-up is by getting rid of the deadwoods in the first-team.
Offloading unwanted players will also help lighten their wage bill. This, in turn, could be used to make new additions.
3. Plan before Buying
Manchester United finished as the runners-up in the Premier League and Europa League last season. They signed Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane, and Cristiano Ronaldo before the start of the season, only to exit the Carabao Cup, FA Cup, and Champions League - all in the early stages.
Sancho, signed to address United's right-wing side, is now their first choice left winger. Varane's arrival has not improved their defensive record. Their goal tally has taken a huge dip from the previous season after signing football history's greatest ever goalscorer.
Their recruitment team needs to understand that new shiny transfers don't magically upgrade the squad without adequate planning.
Before Manchester United draw up a shortlist of potential summer signings, they need to finalise the appointment of their new permanent manager. They also need to decide what kind of football they intend to play and then jump into the transfer market accordingly.
Further, they need to focus on the mentality as much as the quality of the signings. Against Atletico, United weren't beaten because of their lack of quality, but instead due to their failure to counter Diego Simeone's men's gamesmanship.
Naivety on and off the pitch is haunting the Red Devils time and again. Unless the owners make some serious changes from the top down, Manchester United will continue to find themselves in a frustrating merry-go-round.
