3 things Manchester United must do to save the sinking Old Trafford ship

The situation at the Stretford End is anything but pleasant since the time Sir Alex Ferguson left the dugout of Manchester United.

The Glazer family then replaced the highly efficient David Gill with a businessman in Ed Woodward, who has managed to secure a number of good sponsorship deals off the field, but still has to prove his mettle in the on-field proceedings.

The United board has made a lot of silly errors in hiring the right personnel, and must take corrective measures as soon as possible if they want to preserve the once greatest football club in the whole of England.

Here are 3 things which will bring in short-term stability and will bring about a constructive re-building process at the Northern England club.

#1 Fire Jose Mourinho

It may seem like United will err in firing Mourinho before his contract is over, and will replicate the unsuccessful period of their bitter rivals Liverpool.

The United management has time and again seemed to hire the wrong person for the job - first David Moyes, then Louis Van Gaal, and now Jose Mourinho - with everyone lacking ideas, or a certain culture that has to be implemented on the pitch. All three of them are extremely defensive coaches, regardless of the amount of attacking talent United possesses, and the firepower that they bring to the table.

When you have Rashford, Martial, Lukaku, Pogba, Mata, Lingard, Sanchez and now Fred eligible to play for your side, then having 30-40 percent possession certainly does not suit their style of play.

United do have a squad which includes the likes of Fellaini, Matic, Herrera, and Pereira to plug in the gaps in the midfield, and give their more attack-minded colleagues the creative freedom to express themselves on the pitch.

Making everyone play behind the ball just wastes precious energy, and playing in such a way continuously tampers with their creative instincts. It is visible to everyone that this United team has a one-way approach to games - that is to sit back and look to hit on the counter, and are helpless when a smaller side relinquishes the ball and sits back to defend.

Jose has lacked pro-activeness in his approach, and his team has not been able to stamp their authority in games.

United is a club renowned for their footballing ideology - the Sir Matt Busby Way - the ALL OUT attacking attitude to play football when they are behind, and to show character when their club needs them the most.

Jose Mourinho's recent record has proved time and again that he has lost his charm to turn around the fortunes of a club - let alone as big a club as Manchester United.

The current executive vice-chairman of Manchester United FC has already missed a trick in his bag by not hiring Sarri, and he will be wary of repeating his mistake next season - when Bielsa becomes available.

#2 Believe in your central defensive partnership

Lindelof and Bailly can replicate the successful partnership of Ferdinand and Vidic

Jose Mourinho has continuously chip-chopped his central defenders, and this has caused havoc in the back-line.

There has been often no communication whatsoever between the back-line which has led to players beating the offside trap or players losing hold of their man, and the opposition taking advantage of the situation. Both these short-comings were clearly visible in a 3-0 drubbing of United by Tottenham on Matchday 3.

Mourinho has publicly accepted he does not know his best 2 defenders, even though he pioneered the moves for Bailly and Lindelof, while Smalling and Jones have been a part of the title winning squads at United.

Even Fosu-Mensah impressed in his outings for United when he was given the mantle to represent the club under the guidance of Louis Van Gaal. But since the change in the managerial seat, the up and coming youngster has been shunted out of the squad, and now has been loaned out for the second season running.

Bailly is by far the best defender United has got in the current squad - he has provided the Vidic-esque defending to this United side, and has fairly bailed out United from some very tricky moments. He is not afraid to put his body on the line, and is even comfortable with the ball at his feet, yet surprisingly he is not trusted by the gaffer.

If United has to find their old form, then they must have a STABLE central defensive partnership, otherwise this may be a very long season for the United supporters.

#3 Develop the young players

Not so long ago, there was a time when Carrington Training Complex and La Masia (Barcelona) were hands down the best academies in the development of young players. Every young player dreams of entering the best development facility in the area, and Manchester United was more often than not the answer to their needs.

While La Masia has continued to bring in future stars, the production line at United has somewhat slowed down. Their bitter neighbors have taken advantage, and are now giving The Red Devils a run for the title of Best Academy in England.

The major upside of developing young players is that you get to beat in the club's philosophy and the style into the youngsters from a very young age, and it makes for an easier transition when they make the cut for the senior squad.

Also, the understanding, the partnerships, and the brotherhood develop from a very young age and the players stand up for their team-mates on and off the field, which is what makes a team United.

The class of 92-93 is the perfect example of the benefits of developing young players, rather than loaning out the starlets, as Beckham, Giggs, Nicky Butt, and the Neville brothers went on to become the backbone of the team that dominated the English football landscape like no other team had done before.

Now, rather than giving the young guns a chance, Mourinho is hell-bent on hiring proven stars rather than developing stars of his own. He has brought in Ibrahimovic, Matic, Sanchez, Fred, and Lindelof, which has significantly made United one of the older teams in terms of age on the footballing pitch.

Such decisions by the Portuguese manager has acted as a hindrance to the natural development of their young starlets, and it will end up costing United in the long run.

Finding a manager who can work and develop players in Rashford, Martial, McTominay, Fosu-Mensah, and Pereira among others could very well act as the secret ingredient which will make Manchester United great again.

Edited by Anthony Akatugba Jr.