Jurgen Klopp and Sir Alex Ferguson legacies, as Manchester United legend accepts responsibility for struggles
Manchester United's suffering during the last decade has been placed on a number of figures, most recently on iconic manager Sir Alex Ferguson for failing to leave the squad in better shape when he departed in 2013.
Manchester United fans often remember the club's dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson and the talented players they had, but there is a sense of resentment among club officials who believe discussing past achievements only adds pressure to the team. Mirror Football reported on this.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has removed Ferguson from his lucrative ambassadorial role since retiring from management in 2013, leaving United in uncharted waters. They are juggling a financial minefield while attempting to improve a dismal underperforming team, making it a near-impossible juggling act. Since Ferguson's retirement, United have won five trophies, including four domestic cups and the Europa League.
The fact that this club has won any titles since Ferguson's departure seems miraculous. In his final season, 2012-13, he already had a team on the decline. It had aging stars like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes and was in desperate need of a shake-up.
United's success did not occur by chance. It was the result of rigorous preparation, making only the correct additions for the club, and cultivating the greatest talent the club had to offer, headed by Ferguson and CEO David Gill.
But after the pair left, United's approach was to throw money at the wall. In the following five seasons, they spent about £700 million on transfers, betting on major players like Angel Di Maria, Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Alexis Sanchez, and Romelu Lukaku. They were all paid exorbitant salaries, while United hired the best managers in the world, including Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal. It's no accident that United have spent the most money on signings - about £1 billion - since the 2014-15 season. Since Ferguson's departure, there has been a desperate lack of direction, and his former striker Wayne Rooney has even indicated that he is to blame for the club's failure to prepare for the future.
"[United] were offering me a contract of £200,000 a week, so it would have been quite easy for me to say, 'five years, £200,000 a week… let me sign it now'," Rooney said on February 20, 2022.
"It would have been simple for me to achieve that. But I wanted to be successful on the pitch; that is more important to me. Actually, five years on from that encounter, Alex Ferguson knew where the team was going. He got out of there as quickly as possible, and they're still gathering up the bits now."
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