IT MIGHT be hard to believe for their faithful fans, but Manchester United’s decline in recent years has sent them into the “also-ran” bracket and nobody, not even the most committed and myopic fan believes they can challenge for the Premier League title. Not since the early 1970s when United’s team aged and became over-reliant on a wayward genius have they been written off so easily. For a few years, it was post-Ferguson syndrome, but it has gone on far longer than anyone expected, the current Manchester United is a result of poor transfer market activity, short-term thinking, too many managers and a lack of clear direction.
But it cannot continue because, like a giant multi-national company, under-performance is not tolerated and answers have to be found quickly. United have drifted for over a decade and unless they improve in 2025-26, 15th place could become something altogether more menacing. The dreaded “R” word seems ridiculous because this is Manchester United, but another drop of the kind that took place in 2024-25 would put them in the bottom three. From their perspective, they will be thankful there will be far worse teams in the Premier this season.
Avoiding another 15th place-type final position is not the goal for 2025-26 because United have spent prolifically to acquire three forwards; Bryan Mbuemo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Šeško. The combined total paid out for this trio was almost £ 200 million, so United cannot claim they don’t have any forwards. They have also unloaded Marcus Rashford to Barcelona on loan, which takes him out of the daily dialogue and almost certainly spells the end of his Old Trafford career, which could have been handled far better by player and club; Rashford needed to leave even before his star descended.
United have been on spending sprees before and rarely have they worked quickly, so a lot is resting on these players and on Ruben Amorim’s shoulders. He needs a fast-track service from his players over the opening month of the season, otherwise it could be the beginning of the end. Amorim was successful at Sporting, but he looks as unprepared as poor old Wilf McGuinness appeared to be when he took over from Sir Matt Busby. He needs time, but it seems unlikely that United will be so patient. His win rate since joining the club is just 38% and that is after 42 games, which equates to a full season.
There has to be some concern in United’s spending, however, in that they have thrown their cash at one department of the team, perhaps necessarily so. But they still need strengthening elsewhere, notably in defence and midfield. They have been eyeing Paris Saint-Germain’s goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Brighton’s defensive midfielder Carlos Baleba, among others.
Amorim sends a lot of mixed messages and although he apparently said he was looking to spend 20 years at United he also commented that he would be lucky to survive the sack. He also revealed he likes the pressure of having his job at risk all the time. His honesty is, to a certain degree, refreshing, but it would seem unlikely the club appreciates such candour. Off the pitch, United continue to try and turn the aircraft carrier around, which is taking time and creating negative headlines even though many of their actions and initiatives were arguably much-needed.
United kick-off with a home game against Arsenal, a tough opener for such a vital season and Amorim’s job will certainly be a topic of debate, game-by-game. With £ 200 million spent on fresh talent, the suits and shareholders will be looking for a drastic improvement in 2025-26, otherwise they will be searching for the next occupant of the manager’s office.
Game of the People was founded in 2012 and is ranked among the 100 best football websites by various sources. The site consistently wins awards for its work, across a broad range of subjects. [View all posts by Neil Fredrik Jensen](https://gameofthepeople.com/author/georgefjord/)