Manchester United: Why is the Red Devil struggling for success?

Manchester United won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns under Sir Alex Ferguson as their manager, with the Red Devils overtaking Liverpool as the most successful club in England.

Ferguson famously set out to overtake the Reds and did, turning United into the powerhouse of English football in under three decades.

The legendary manager fought off several Liverpool managers, as well as the likes of Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, to keep United as the best club in England.

Their fans enjoyed that and were unsure about what to expect when he retired as the club’s manager.

At the time, this was their biggest fear, and when he left his role as their manager in 2013, he gave the club David Moyes as his successor.

Manchester United tickets holders were not so convinced about the then-Everton gaffer. They were eventually proven right, as Moyes could not last a full season as their manager before he was sacked.

He had been the wrong choice as the coach to replace Ferguson, but who was the right choice and is the lack of a right manager the club’s problem?

Ferguson left behind a very good team, and most people feel that any manager arriving after him can easily find success with the players he has at his disposal.

But ten years after the legendary gaffer left his role, Manchester United has yet to win the Premier League.

They have found some success in domestic cup competitions and won the Europa League in 2017, but they still do not have a Premier League or Champions League trophy in the post-Ferguson era.

They have splashed the cash on world class talents and sign veterans who have won several titles with other teams, yet the team struggles with consistency.

Several top managers have taken over the leadership role at Old Trafford, but the result remains the same: United fails to win trophies or achieve worthwhile success no matter how good the manager.

Erik Ten Hag is the latest coach trying to bring back the club's glory days, but the former Ajax gaffer is already struggling and might become the latest coach to be eaten up by the club. But why has United struggled for consistency so much?

Bad player investment

The Red Devils have never been shy about opening the chequebook to make new signings under the Glazer family's ownership.

They have often been criticised for not being the best owners in the Premier League, but one certain thing is that the Glazers have been heavy spenders.

They broke the world transfer record to sign Paul Pogba and have sanctioned moves for quality players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Casemiro and Edinson Cavani, so we cannot say they have not invested in the squad.

However, United has often signed players who have failed to meet expectations after moving to Old Trafford.

Pogba was the best midfielder in the world at Juventus, but when he moved to United, he became a shadow of himself within three seasons.

Instead of the Frenchman improving, he got worse and failed to live up to the hype of his arrival, even though he won the Europa League in 2017.

Casemiro won every single club trophy possible at Real Madrid, including five Champions League titles, which prompted United to spend £60 million, plus £10 million in add-ons to add him to their group at 29.

His first season in England was a success as he won the Carabao Cup and reached the final of the FA Cup, but this term has been poor for him, and he looks like a shadow of the player we watched last season.

These are just two examples of players who have done badly at the club after joining them for big money, and this shows a flaw in their recruitment strategy or system.

Poor club culture

When Mikel Arteta became the manager of Arsenal two seasons after the long spell of Arsene Wenger, the Spaniard noticed the Gunners’ culture was broken and not fit for success.

This explained why their team had struggled after the Frenchman left the Emirates, and Arteta insisted they had to change the culture.

This is likely the case for Manchester United now, as they seem to have slipped into mediocrity since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club.

The legendary gaffer was famously a tough boss who protected the culture of excellence and hard work at the club, even if it meant he had to get rid of top players.

He never held back when making decisions and signed only players he believed were truly world-class.

But since he left, there has been a decay in the club's culture, which has allowed players to behave poorly and get away with it.

United needs a strong hand like Arteta, and Ten Hag is trying his best to clamp down on division in the dressing room and mediocrity, but the Dutchman has a lot of work to do to change the culture and might not be given enough time to achieve this.

Brilliance of their rivals

Another reason United has struggled to achieve success consistently, as they did under Sir Alex Ferguson, is the emergence of brilliant rivals.

When the current Manchester City owners came to town and began spending money to catch up with the Red Devils, Ferguson dismissed them as noisy neighbours.

At the time, he was confident they were no match for United and would never be able to knock them off their perch, but he could not have gotten it more wrong.

In the years that followed, United struggled to catch up with City, as the Citizens continued to win the trophies the Red Devils always won.

The appointment of Pep Guardiola as the manager of the Citizens has made life even easier for the blue half of Manchester. Because of their brilliant performances, they have deserved to be the better side in every term so far.

Liverpool is the team that United displaced as the top side of table among the successful English clubs and the Reds have also been transformed by the arrival of Jurgen Klopp.

The German has made them the most successful team in England again and he will leave in the summer having made a meal of United in several games and in terms of the number of trophies won.

Arsenal is being revived by Arteta and the Gunners will soon become an English champion before United does in the post-Ferguson era.

The brilliance of their rivals is yet another reason why United has struggled to succeed consistently, and they must also begin to change their culture aggressively and find a manager who can transform the team.

Ten Hag is now fighting for his future after his team failed to replicate the success they achieved last season in this campaign, but if United wants to make worthwhile progress, they have to stop firing managers regularly and choose to support one for the long-term.