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There is no disguising the fact that Manchester United, the once-great kings of English football, endured a decade to forget. There have been bust-ups between players and managers, questionable transfers, horrendous performances galore, and just about everything in between; all going on in the menacing shadow of Liverpool's and Manchester City's reemergence as European-football powerhouses - United's two biggest rivals.
Yes, It's been a sorry state of affairs at Old Trafford for a while now and, following the disappointing defeat at the hands of Burnley FC, it doesn't look like it's going to get any better in the short-term. So, if it's a sprinkling of positivity you are after, steer clear - as we cast an eye over Manchester United's top 10 low points of the last decade.
#10 Lingard's drunken hotel video - 2019
This unfortunate incident makes the list by virtue of being asymptomatic of everything fans have come to believe is wrong with the culture at Manchester United FC. The video features former-academy-prospect turned consistent-underachiever, Jesse Lingard, who takes viewers on a drunken, foul-mouthed tour of a plush American hotel during the summer break.
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United fans had just endured their most fruitless and humbling season in recent memory and watching Lingard behaving like a teenager battling against his first hangover, and watching his pal (a united youth prospect himself) hump a pillow was just embarrassing, the ultimate way to kick united's already downtrodden, humbled fanbase.
#9 The summer transfer window - 2018
In his first season in charge, Jose Mourinho guided Manchester United to a UEFA Cup win, a League Cup win, and a second-place finish in the Premier League - not a bad start; though, - in truth - United were light-years behind Manchester City in terms of both points and style of play. Undeterred, however, fans went into the transfer window with cautious optimism: could Mourinho acquire the 2-3 world-class players they needed to push their cross-city rivals all the way? Could they close the gap?
The answer: a resounding - NO!
Fans were fantasizing over some of the stars of the World Cup and UEFA Champions League, and names such as Fabinho, Gareth Bale, Kalidou Koulibaly, Jan Vertongen, and Ivan Perisic being linked with the club on a near-daily basis. Instead, Ed Woodward and the board only managed to get one notable deal over the line - that of Fred, who arrived in a £50 million deal from Shakhtar Donetsk in a move that was as surprising as it was expensive.
Sure, Diogo Dalot - a relative unknown up-and-comer from Porto - was brought in; and so to was goalkeeper Lee Grant, who finally made his debut during last November's defeat at the hands of Astana, but fans and - perhaps more importantly - Jose Mourinho had been expecting much more from the board, and any flames of optimism mustered from the previous campaign were quickly doused by a damp blanket.
This tempestuous summer makes the list as it is the beginning of Mourinho's downfall and eventual sacking, and because it highlights the failings of the Manchester United board to equip their managers with the tools they need to get the job done, which has been a real and consistent low-point since SAF retired.
#8 Manchester United 1 - 3 Barcelona - 2011
Having lost to Barcelona 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League final in 2009, an expectant United fanbase watched on as Rooney and the boys once again went toe-to-toe with the Catalan giants in 2011 final.
Sir Alex Ferguson seemed confident, looked like a man unable to contemplate a second loss, and, though his Manchester United team went into the game as plucky underdogs, the red devils' fanbase was expectant of a result.
It was not to be. A Wayne Rooney strike canceled out Pedro's opener, but goals from Messi and David Villa in the second half meant that England's finest and most supported club were left watching the celebrations from the touch-line for the second time in three years, a real blow for the fans.
#7 The summer transfer window - 2019
Following an abject, lamentable 4-0 defeat against Everton towards the end of the 2018 season new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had strong words for his underachieving squad:
"We can't change the whole squad, it’s one step at a time. I've said all along I’m going to be successful here. There are players there who won't be part of that successful team but there are players there, of course, who will be."
The fans got on-board. Ole was right; for too long big-name players had been allowed to put in sub-par performances and to collect above-average wages at Old Trafford. It was time to usher in a new era at the club, and most fans were excited to see the rebuild.
So, how did it go? ... not well, unfortunately.
The United board coughed up a hefty £55 million for Crystal Palace's Aaron Wan-Bissaka to replace the retired Antonio Valencia, and Harry Maguire joined the club in an £80 million deal from Leicester, which - in turn - saw Chris Smalling shipped off to Roma on loan. Daniel James signed on from Swansea City, enabling Alexis Sanchez to join Inter Milan on loan, too.
However, Zlatan Ibrahimovic had been allowed to leave for the MLS during the 2018 season - he was never replaced. Fellaini went to China - he was never replaced. Ander Herrera ran down his contract and opted for PSG - he was never replaced. Romelu Lukaku joined Inter Milan - he was never replaced. Matteo Darmian went to Parma - was he replaced? No, of course not; and just recently, captain Ashley Young also escaped to Serie A, and fans are justifiably dubious about the arrival of his successor, too.
The board decided not to replace any of those players, despite the fact United's midfield was already short of options and lacking creativity; and they still haven't...
This makes the list because it highlights how inept Clive, Woodward and the Glazer-run boardroom is when it comes to planning for the future and negotiating transfers.
#6 Liverpool marching towards the 2019-20 EPL title
Liverpool's early-season surge to the top spot in the Premier League has hurt Manchester United. Sure, they might not get to lift the trophy until 2020, which is technically the next decade; but with such a huge, - some-might-say - 'insurmountable' gap at the top between them and Manchester City, it seems certain that Klopp's world champions are poised to make the 2020s an era of dominance all of their own, kickstarting things by winning the Premier League in a few months.
For United fans, this is a real low: literally, the worst possible way to end one decade and begin another. Liverpool's dominant win over the Red Devils at Anfield will have done little to alleviate the gloom back across the M62.
#5 The Paul Pogba to Real Madrid transfer saga
When Jose Mourinho managed to tempt Paul Pogba back to The Theatre of Dreams in 2016, most thought it would serve as a catalyst; that Pogba would tattoo the famed badge across his chest, galvanize the talent in the dressing room, perform, and drag United back towards the summit of the Premier League, where they belonged. How wrong they all were...
Pogba has been inconsistent at best since his return to Old Trafford four years ago. The talented Frenchman flatters to deceive, all too often following up spells of good form with woeful, unspirited performances that leave a sour taste in the mouth.
Fallouts with Mourinho seemed to be happening with regularity during the 2018-19 season, with Mourinho going so far as to call Pogba 'a virus' during a dressing-room beatdown, following an abject display against Southampton in the league.
The fans sided with Pogba, and Mourinho was told to sling his hook. You could forgive those same fans for expecting their club's biggest asset to be thankful for their loyalty; perhaps to even pay them back with some increased efforts out on the field...
Wrong: Pogba played well for about 6 weeks and then slipped back into his ball-greedy, sulking ways as he and the rest of the squad limped into an embarrassing 6th placed finish.
Not a single fan was surprised come the summer when Pogba began to flirt with Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid. The only shock came when Woodward and Co. refused to do business with Los Blancos, instead deciding to keep an unhappy player on the books for another season.
#4 Moyes and Woodward fail the club in their first summer transfer-window - 2013
Red Devils' fans agreed that without Sir Alex Ferguson, United's dominance of England's top flight would likely be at an end. However, there was some optimism in the stands, too: United were league champions the previous year after all...
True, the squad wasn't what it had once been, and there were gaping holes, particularly in the middle of the park, that needed addressing, but with a new manager at the helm and a new chief executive upstairs, most expected a summer of transfer business as Moyes and Woodward would surely attempt to put their stamp on the squad, right?
Wrong!
It was to be the summer of absolutely nothing - nothing happened at all until the very last day of the window when Woodward finally signed off on a deal to bring lanky-Belgian, Marouane Fellaini to the club for a then hefty £27.5 million fee. Nobody questioned his commitment but Fellaini never had the talent required to keep United in the upper echelons of the Premier League - not without a supporting cast that never arrived.
Manchester United had missed their chance to hit reset and rebuild the squad in a fashion Moyes could have worked with. He was unceremoniously fired after just 10 months in the hot-seat and, in truth, the Red Devils have never been the same again. The club never really recovered from this horrendous summer transfer window and that's why it makes the list as true low-point of the last decade.
#3 Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City - 2011
Manchester United suffered their biggest defeat of the modern era against bitter city rivals Manchester City at home at Old Trafford in 2011. Roberto Mancini's expensively-assembled side put United to the sword as they scored six of the best, including a brace from one Mario Balotelli, beging United fans to ask the question: 'Why always him?'
Fans were distraught after the game and this has to be considered as one of the low-points of the decade just because of how severe a beating it was. Ferguson, himself, had to this to say during the post-match conversations with media:
"It was our worst ever day. It’s the worst result in my history, ever. Even as a player I don’t think I ever lost 6-1. I can’t believe the scoreline."
The Red Devils were well and truly humbled and some could say this was the moment that marked the start of the powershift from the red side of Manchester to the blue half of the city.
#2 The retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson - 2012
The many titles Sir Alex Ferguson brought to Manchester United are, without doubt, one of the greatest managerial achievements of all time, and it was always going to be difficult to replace him. This is why fans were so disheartened to see him go. Nobody begrudged him his retirement party, of course! It was just a painful time for the Red Devils' fans who were left gazing into a worrying and uncertain future. How right they were to be worried.
Since his retirement speech eight years ago, Manchester United have failed to win the Premier League, wasted £600 million on transfers, struggled in Europe, and slipped further and further down the pecking order with regard to Europe's elite sides... they even had to make do with a four-and-a-half-star rating on the current edition of the video game FIFA!
In truth, it was never going to be easy to replace SAF, but seeing how far the club has fallen since his retirement must make it even more difficult for the United faithful.
#1 "AGUUUEEEERRROOOOOOOO" - 2011
Sergio Aguero's title-clinching last-gasp winner against Queens Park Rangers will probably go down as 'the greatest moment in the history of the Premier League' - and it truly was spectacular.
United was made of much sterner stuff back then though, and the players and staff regrouped: Ferguson brought in Robin van Persie and, the next season, the much-admired manager and the Dutchman, signed from Arsenal for £25 million, dragged a sub-par United squad across the finishing line to their most recent (and final) EPL title win.
Despite the resurgence shown in 2012, the reason Sergio Aguero's 3-2 injury-time winner against QPR moment ranks number one in the list is simple - it's when the balance of power finally shifted in Manchester. It's the precise moment United fans realized that they were being outspent in the market by a richer club who were now capable of not only beating them, but of playing more attractive football; and, despite the title-winning efforts of Van Persie and Co. the following season, the power never really returned to the red side of Manchester; and that's what hurts the most about it.
