“Champions of Europe, Champions of England, the FA Cup holders, everything their hearts desire.”
Those were the words memorably said by commentator Clive Tyldesley after Manchester United’s dramatic 2-1 win over Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final.
He was right too – after winning their third major trophy of the 1998-99 season, Manchester United had officially reached the promise land and still to this day, it is a landscape no other English team has seen.
But go back to the terraces of the Nou Camp on that dramatic night in May of 1999 and tell a United fan that in 2022, the side wouldn’t have lifted a major piece of silverware for five years. Who would have believed it?
How can a side so dominant, for so long, fall so far, so quickly?
But fast forward two decades and Manchester United, once the pride of English football, now finds themselves barely able to call themselves one of the country’s top four teams.
Struggling season upon season with a conveyor belt of managers on overdrive, club legends from years gone by such as Roy Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson must be questioning whether or not this current United side really is part of the same club that reached the pinnacle of football less than 25-years-ago.
The Manchester United of old represented determination, grit and desire – a ‘never say die’ attitude.
Injury time was coined ‘Fergie Time’, based purely on how frequently the Red Devils would net a late equaliser, or winner. But that doesn’t happen much anymore.
What remains is a shell of a team – admittedly littered with talent, but one that doesn’t adhere to the same principles embedded in the club’s foundations.
The current side are lacklustre, weak, both physically and mentally and inconsistent beyond belief. This applies both to the squad and the staff behind the scenes.
No one appears to want to take ownership for the club’s faults and consequently what happens is decisions are made on an ad-hoc basis with next to no planning, this applies to every aspect of the club – from the marketing department to the senior recruitment team.
This is best echoed by what has been a truly embarrassing managerial saga. Former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who just so happened to be the match-winner on that famous night back in May 1999, was relieved of his managerial duties – a role he should never have been given in the first place, last year.
In the Norwegian’s place came former RB Leipzig manager Ralf Rangnick, who, if we’re being totally honest, absolutely nobody this side of the English Channel, had heard of, prior to his links with the Old Trafford hot seat.
Dubbed the ‘Godfather of German football’ by managerial counterpart Jurgen Klopp, Rangnick’s first four months in charge has seen him look less like a Godfather and more like an estranged uncle that no one wants to invite round for Christmas.
Agreeing to lead the team on an interim basis until the end of the season, when he will then take up a consultancy role, Rangnick, who is best known in the industry for his tactical prowess, has come in and done an average (at best) job. He has kept the side ticking over but ‘progression’ is not really a term fans can so far associate with the German.
In fact, it is much of the same for the United faithful – they have just watched the side crash out of the Champions League in the first knockout round after suffering a 2-1 on aggregate defeat against Atletico Madrid. The second leg, which was played under the Old Trafford floodlights, even saw the Red Devils fail to score.
Not only have the side suffered European heartache again, but their domestic form sees them major outsiders to even qualify for the Champions League next season.
Dumped out of the FA Cup against Championship side Middlesborough in January and suddenly, the Red Devils’ season is over, well before it is actually over. Disastrous.
With this season reaching its conclusion and United fans facing the prospect of picking a preferred Premier League winner out of noisy neighbours Manchester City and bitter-rivals Liverpool, some fans would be forgiven for turning their attention to rugby.
But, nevertheless, next season will come around, regardless of who finishes this one on top and Manchester United will very much be under the spotlight again.
First on the agenda for the club’s decision-makers will be to identify and appointment a permanent, long-term manager and several names have already been linked.
According to the Guardian, three frontrunners to take on the toughest job in European football are, Ajax’s Erik ten Hag, Paris-Saint Germain’s Mauricio Pochettino and Sevilla’s Julen Lopetegui.
However, ever since links to Manchester United emerged, the trio now share an unwanted record – they’ve all just crashed out of Europe’s top two competitions, when they shouldn’t have.
Ajax fell to an average Benfica side at home in Amsterdam, with Paris-Saint Germain letting a one goal advantage slip against Real Madrid and Sevilla were well-beaten in the Europa League by David Moyes’ West Ham United. Disastrous.
Is it purely coincidence that all three Manchester United-linked managers have endured a majorly disappointing week, or should the trio take it as a sign to steer clear of a club, that on the face of it, appear cursed?