“Here’s Beckham and he scores, Rooney to the rescue with a magnificent kick into the nets, a masterful save by Van der Sar, Ronaldo beats player after player, he shoots and he scores, Ferdinand and Vidic as always keeping the magic alive.”
Those chants can still be heard, it’s not too long since we all enjoyed the chanting and the magic of the Old Trafford men. Since the departure of the greatest and most respected manager of Football, Sir Alex Ferguson those chants have become almost a rarity not to forget there has been a big void left to be filled at Manchester United FC.
United since the exit of Ferguson has had three managers and has spent over 570 million Euros trying to augment the aura and status. United have been the busiest in the transfer market but not very busy at the table top, since 2013 United have finished 7th, 4th , and 5th in the Premier League and has won only one FA Cup and one Community Shield since 2013 which is quite substandard for a celebrated team like United. What was the reason for such a setback? Where did they go wrong? How will they keep the magic alive?
Retirement/Transfer of senior players
After 2012-2013 season United saw an array of glorified senior players retire, on the verge of retiring or were transferred with like of big names such as Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand to name a few, leaving one of the biggest clubs in a state of turmoil with the legendary manager also retiring the same year.
Pitfall of being the successor
The following season the command was handed over to the David Moyes to manage the troops. There is a famous saying “With great power comes great responsibility.” Such was the state of Moyes after being jubilated with the news of him being the next manager of United, he also had big shoes to step in. Although being the manager of a big club like United has its perks but at the same time, he had pressure and expectations on him to keep the legacy alive. This saw him being succumbed to that pressure and expectations and as a result United ended up at a dismal 7th not to forget it was the first time Manchester United hadn't qualified for a European competition since 1990 (Europa and UEFA), such is the pitfall of being a successor of a legacy.
Shortage of youth enforcement
Although they had big names with the likes of Rooney, Carrick, Van Persie they lacked on the forefront of youth. Under Ferguson, many youth players like Giggs, Scholes, Garry and Phil Neville evolved as players and went on to be the best in business. Since then not many youth players have come into light except for the likes of Janzuaj and Rashford.
Disappointing signings
There is nothing better than a good signing but nothing’s worse than those signings not being able to live up to the expectations. Many high profile players like Di Maria, Mata, Falcao and Schweinsteiger were signed or were brought on loan but even those players were not able to make a mark at the club and ended either getting transferred the next season or were benched for the most of the season.
Trying to keep the magic alive
Since the end of an illustrious career of Sir Alex Ferguson, United has had three full-time managers and one interim manager to resurrect the magic again but most of them have failed to do so. On 27th May 2016 it came as radiant news that “The Special One” Jose Mourinho was confirmed as the manager of Manchester United on a three-year contract. Since then we have seen quite positive changes, good signings, and joy amongst the fans. With him, as the boss, many pundits have predicted this season as the season of Manchester United. All the fans across the globe are vying for him to create the magic again. After all “Cos we are Man United”.
