Manchester United have further reason to be concerned as they have seen the value of the club fall by more than £400m since the start of the season.
Last August, United kicked off their campaign with a 1-0 win over Tottenham at Old Trafford with their share price on the New York stock exchange at $18.37.
A day after their 3-0 loss at White Hart Lane in the reverse fixture on Sunday, their share price had fallen by 25 per cent to $13.83.
In turn, while their market capitalisation was £2bn at the start of the season, it has now fallen down to £1.58bn, as reported by Sky Sports.
That is a reflection of their lack of success on the pitch, with coach Louis van Gaal seeing the value of the club drop by almost a billion dollars since he took charge in 2014.
United’s struggles in the Champions League coupled with their woes in qualifying for the competition next season have been attributed as the biggest reasons behind the fall.
Following their elimination by Wolfsburg in December, their share price fell by five per cent to $17.82, and that trend has continued as they currently sit four points adrift of rivals Manchester City in fourth place with six games remaining this season.
United continue to record strong profits and they are expected to overtake Real Madrid as the world’s richest club, as they continue to secure lucrative commercial deals and partnerships.
However, without success on the pitch, they will continue to oversee a negative impact in general and that could in turn raise further doubts over the future of Van Gaal.
The Dutchman has another year remaining on his contract with the club, but failure to qualify for the Champions League could be the final straw for the United hierarchy.