'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Sir Alex Fergusson wanted to remove Liverpool from the helm of the top tier of England's League and that was exactly what he did. He guided United to win their 20th Premier league title, surpassing Liverpool's 18 league titles.
His charisma, his man management skills, and his tactics took Manchester United to new heights. He is considered to be the godfather of many Manchester United players. He made Old Trafford into a fortress and Anfield was gradually moving into the shadows.
Since he retired after 2013, United have looked anything but a mid-table club. Their performances season after season have been criticized heavily by the fans.
Here are few of the reasons why United are not the team they used to be anymore and why they are far off from being a title challenger.
#1 Ageing players
When Sir Alex left, the new manager, David Moyes, was left with a bunch of players who were well past their prime. The likes of Vidic, Ferdinand were ageing. Rooney was also nearing his thirties.
This comes down to United's lack of a solid transfer agenda and their willingness to play with the same squad year in and year out. It was Sir Alex's brilliance which led United to glory all of these years, but for a new manager, it was a daunting task to face.
The season under David Moyes was a disaster and it was the beginning of United's downfall. The threat that surrounded Old Trafford for other teams, was gone. Previously, teams used to visit Old Trafford with a fear and hope of getting at least a point, but now they are confident of getting all three points in the red half of Machester.
Even the current bunch of players with the likes of Young, Valencia are well over 30. The game has changed a lot in recent times. Players are fitter, stronger than ever before. Manchester City overhauled their squad when Guardiola arrived with all the old legs leaving the club.
But Manchester United seems to have forgotten how to achieve success in the Premier League. Players like Zlatan are undoubtedly good, but a red flag that should have been noticed, was his age. Bringing him to United was never going to be a long term solution.
#2 Managerial Choices
A club like Manchester United deems a manager with the highest quality and a personality to manage at the highest level, under grave pressure every match-day. Expectations are always high when you manage the biggest club in the world.
The managerial choices of United have been utterly poor. Appointing David Moyes turned out to be one of the biggest mistakes of the club. There were ego clashes all over. Players were not willing to listen to him or follow his instructions. And his sorry tenure ended even before the year ended.
The next person at the helm was Louis van Gaal.
When the Dutch national team performed exceedingly well under him, in the 2014 World Cup, there were hopes that this man could bring back the glory days to United.
But with his own philosophy, which didn't go in sync with United's philosophy. His style of play and his antics off the field made the club see unforeseen lows in the footballing world.
The appointment of Jose Mourinho was appreciated by many as he could be an ideal manager to pick United up from the ashes. But his 'defensive style' of football has not gone down well with the fans.
It doesn't symbolizes the Manchester United that we all know. The current season is his third and early suggestions have suggested anything but his inevitable sack even before the end of the season. With such turmoil in management, success is hard to come by.
#3 Transfers
Manchester United have spent millions in the transfer market after Sir Alex retired. The players that they bought in were not of United's stature. They have not done anything to improve the squad. Some have not even managed to get first team position and eventually left.
Players like Marouane Fellaini who was a panic buy are not of United's quality. Van Gaal did try to bring players with big names such as Falcao, Di Maria but neither had the personality to play in the Premier league. Falcao was injury prone and didn't get enough game time.
He was eventually sold to Chelsea and then he moved to Monaco. Even the likes of Darmian, Daley Blind showed promise initially but faded with time.
The current transfer season has been disappointing. United only managed to bring a young Portuguese right back, a third choice goal keeper from Stoke and the Brazilian midfielder Fred.
Though Fred is a promising prospect, but still compared to the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea, United don't seem have in them what is required to win the title. Neither do the new signings look capable of bringing any substantial change to the squad.
