Two Crucial Moments in the Decline of Manchester United Post-Sir Alex Ferguson

Manchester United were once the most dominant force in English football. Under the iconic Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils romped to 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, and two Champions League titles between 1986 and 2013, including one final title in the maverick Scotsman's final season in charge. Since then, however, the club has gone downhill dramatically. 

United are without a league title since Fergie's departure. In fact, they have only finished inside the Premier League's top two twice in the last 13 years. Not only that, but the club currently finds itself way down in 13th place in the standings after five games of the new campaign, with online betting sites predicting an uphill struggle between now and next May. The latest odds from Lucky Rebel Sportsbook make the Red Devils a 7/4 outsider to repeat their top four finish of last term, with a top six finish at odds of 6/10 considered more likely. 

So, where did it all go wrong for United? Here are two crucial moments in their decline since Alex Ferguson departed 13 and a half years ago. 

Appointing David Moyes as Fergie's Successor 

There was no shortage of marquee managers available in the run-up to Ferguson leaving Old Trafford. Pep Guardiola was out of work after leaving his beloved Barcelona in the summer of 2012, while Jose Mourinho was also about to hit the market, with his departure from Real Madrid confirmed for the summer of 2013. Not only that, but Jurgen Klopp was also thought to be available, despite leading Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final in Fergie's final season. In the end, though, it was Everton manager David Moyes who got the nod. 

The dream choice would have been Mourinho. He had made it clear in no uncertain terms that he would have loved to have managed Manchester United, but with the club taking its sweet time in making an approach, the Special One opted for a return to Chelsea. The delay in appointment also saw the club miss out on Guardiola, who agreed to join Bayern Munich in January 2013, right around the time that Ferguson was informing United of his decision to retire. 

Upon his exit from the club, Fergie personally handpicked Moyes, reportedly calling him to his house and telling him he was getting offered the job rather than inviting him to apply. The board, including owners the Glazers, deferred to Ferguson's judgment. But in the end, the Scotsman's judgment proved to be off. 

Moyes was left with an aging squad, with Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, and Patrice Evra all past their best, while the midfield had been neglected for years. The new man at the helm attempted to rectify this by launching audacious bids for the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Thiago Alcantara, but in the end, he was forced to settle for former Everton man Marouane Fellaini, a different kind of midfielder altogether. 

The result was inevitable. United slumped down to seventh place in the table, and Moyes was promptly sacked. The club, truthfully, has never recovered. 

United Favor Pogba Over Mourinho in Bitter Civil War 

Once Moyes left, Louis van Gaal came and went, bringing with him superstars such as Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao but only managing an FA Cup in terms of silverware. Then, in the summer of 2016, United finally had their blockbuster manager: Mourinho. And the Special One brought with him superstars of his own, namely Zlatan Ibrahimovic and highly rated French midfielder Paul Pogba, signed for a then-British record of £89m from Juventus. 

The initial signs were promising. United won a treble of sorts in their maiden campaign under Mourinho, winning the Europa League, the League Cup, and the Community Shield, securing Champions League qualification for the following season for the first time since Fergie left in the process. In his second season, the Portuguese boss then led his Red Devils to a second-place finish in the Premier League, with their haul of 81 points still the club's best since Fergie left. 

However, in that second season, the cracks began to show. Mourinho was using star midfielder Pogba selectively and substituting or benching him in big games. The most notable example came in March 2018, when he left him out of the starting line-up for the Champions League last-16 second leg against Sevilla, which United lost. Around the same time, Pep Guardiola confirmed that Pogba's agent, Mino Raiola, had offered the player to Manchester City earlier that year, which added to the impression that Pogba's camp was not fully committed to the club or the manager. 

That summer, Pogba would star as France won the World Cup, but by September, his relationship with Mourinho had reached an all-time low. The Frenchman said United should be attacking more in games, which was viewed as criticism of his pragmatic manager, and Mourinho duly stripped Pogba of the vice-captaincy. Days later, Sky Sports cameras filmed a frosty exchange between the two at the Carrington training ground, and the footage became the symbol of the breakdown.

In the end, Mourinho was desperate to sell Pogba, and Barcelona were interested. The club, however, refused, with the World Cup winner viewed as one of the club's most valuable commercial assets, with a huge social media following and a major sponsorship profile. He was considered a long-term investment, while the Special One's days increasingly seemed numbered. After a 3-1 defeat to rivals Liverpool in December 2018, Mourinho was sacked, while Pogba remained with the club, and the Red Devils plummeted further down the Premier League's hierarchy.