3 Reasons why Manchester United are no longer a feared club

#3 Faulty management of player contracts

Did Phil Jones really deserve a contract extension?

One of United's biggest problems in recent years is the contracts that they have given to the players, or, more importantly, the contracts that they have not given to players. Ferguson was careful when it came to this area. He had in mind the squad that he desired and the dead weight was moved on. Even when the players that he wanted were offered contract extensions, many were not long term. For example, Ryan Giggs signed a 1-year contract extension at United in 2009, when he was 35 years old.

Things have taken a downturn since then, and United have been criticized in the way they are dealing with players' contract extensions. During the last year, Ashley Young, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have all been handed long term contracts, even though they have had very inconsistent seasons and have struggled for large parts of the campaign.

On the other hand, there are players such as David de Gea, Juan Mata, and Ander Herrera, who deserve a contract extension but are instead being allowed to run down their contracts. De Gea, who has arguably been Manchester United's best player for the past few years, has still not been given a new contract. He has been a world-class goalkeeper for United and has kept them in the game on countless occasions. Letting one of the world's best goalkeepers walk on a potential free transfer is one of the biggest mistakes Manchester United can make.

Keeping all the above points in mind, Manchester United need at least a couple of good transfer windows under a world class manager if they truly wish to become a force to be reckoned with. If that does not happen, there is a high possibility that United may eventually drop out of the top 6.