"Frayed and ragged, edgy and bad-tempered" - Alan Shearer says 'messy' Manchester United have become an 'interim football club'

Over the past few games, Manchester United have exposed just how poor they are as a collective group of players on the pitch. The discipline, decision making and organization of the team has been substandard. This has also put them in a difficult spot in the Premier League points table, sitting in fifth position.

Premier League legend Alan Shearer recently wrote about United in The Athletic. He used some hard-hitting words to describe the current situation of the Red Devils.

After the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November, the United board made Michael Carrick the temporary manager. They then appointed Ralf Rangnick as interim manager and are now looking for a permanent manager for next season. Hence, Shearer slammed the board and the owners for their incompetence in managing the club.

He wrote:

"When I look at Manchester United, I see chaos, a team lacking any kind of discernible identity. They are an institution bereft of strategy, whose last three managers, if you include Michael Carrick, have been temporary appointments.n United have become an interim football club — a club of caretakers, where authority has become diluted and players inhabit a world of excuses. They have spent an absolute fortune to become truly unexceptional."

Shearer then added how the players inhabit a world of excuses by being "frayed and ragged, edgy and bad-tempered" on the pitch. He added:

“On the pitch, they are frayed and ragged, edgy and bad-tempered, casting around for someone else to blame. They are unsure of who and what they are. What a leaky, noisy, messy club they have become.”

United faced back-to-back draws in the league from winning positions against Burnley and Southampton. They are currently just a point off fourth-placed West Ham United. But Arsenal, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur all have games in hand over United.

Results against Nottingham Forest, Burnley and Southampton have certainly really irked the players. However, there seems to be a lack of coordination among the group on the pitch. Their is a lack of willingness on the pitch from the players while they are continuously ranting and edgy in any match.

These images are extremely hard to swallow for Manchester United fans who have been really let down by the club in the last decade.

Who are the favorites to become the permanent manager of Manchester United?

Manchester United are a dysfunctional club filled with chaos at the moment. Ralf Rangnick, who was appointed as interim manager, can only make a small impact at the club.

United can't mess up their next move as the appointment of the most apt manager will be the most important phase of this team. According to the latest reports, Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino and Ajax manager Erik ten Hag are the favorites for the job.

Spain national team manager Luis Enrique's name has also been rumored in the past few weeks. But with the 2022 World Cup just around the corner, it is highly unlikely that he will arrive at Old Trafford.

Hence, it seems likely that either Pochettino or ten Hag will take the job. It will definitely be a huge task to rebuild this legendary club back to being a dominant football club on and off the field.