Premier League 2018-19: Manchester United in a fix after Jose Mourinho's departure

One of the biggest clubs in Europe find themselves in a spot of bother. Manchester United confirmed earlier today that their manager Jose Mourinho has called it quits halfway through his third season with the club.

Mourinho took over a troubled United team from Louis van Gaal in 2016. In his first season at Manchester, he got them the Europa League along with the League Cup and the FA Community Shield. But there has been very little to celebrate in the Portuguese's stint after those early successes.

It has been a rocky road for the Red Devils ever since the retirement of the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. No manager since, and there have been three, has been able to figure out the right team balance.

If you are a Manchester United fan you will remember that Van Gaal's shopping cart checked out at a whopping 300 million euros. You would have thought that post this shopping spree the team would find its feet in the league.

But that did not happen, and even some of the biggest names in world football could not rescue United from the rut.

Van Gaal's departure came as no surprise, but Mourinho's appointment may have shocked a few people. His second season at the club was his most successful, as the team finished second only to Manchester City. But this year, United again seem to be struggling to find form and consistency despite having a wide range of players.

In my opinion, the basic problem has been with team selection. The managers since Sir Alex have not been able to crack the code of the right team personnel, leading to an inconsistent show.

Paul Pogba has been in and out of form ever since he colored his hair. Like him, Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku too have found it difficult to find form and score goals, especially the latter.

However, it has not been all doom and gloom. United have had their share of moments, one of the biggest being the comeback against Manchester City last season after being 2-0 down at half time. That game could have been over in the first half itself had it not been for the fight shown by Raheem Sterling and Co.

That's all in the past though, and for now the United management need to find an able successor to Mourinho. In all likelihood there will be an interim manager appointed for the rest of the season, but for the problems to truly go away, a permanent solution will have to be identified.

The thing with a club of this status is that the fans' expectations will never go down. At the same time, there is no doubt that the team is still transitioning and needs to find a leader to get over this hump.

United fans can only hope that the club does not take too long to regain its glory status.