Manchester United’s Old Trafford home – Source: Unsplash
Manchester United currently finds itself at the lowest point of its recent history. Last season, Ruben Amorim led the club to a 15th-place finish in the Premier League, their lowest position in 40 years and an unthinkable low from the glory days under Sir Alex Ferguson. This season, things haven’t gotten that much better, with the Red Devils already losing to the likes of Brentford and even lowly League Two side Grimsby Town.
One look at the betting odds shows just how far the mighty have fallen. The bookies have United listed as an 80/1 outsider to win the Premier League this season, with a betting calculator showing just how far they lag behind title favorites Arsenal. Using the popular betting odds calculator at Thunderpick, one can see that a £10 bet on The Gunners would return just £9 in winnings on top of the original stake, as opposed to a mighty £800 should United upset the odds.
But the current plight doesn’t fall squarely at Amorim’s feet. In fact, it can be dated all the way back to the summer of 2013, when the aforementioned Fergie retired and he left replacement David Moyes with an aging squad already on the decline. “The Chosen One” would attempt to freshen up his squad with a slew of blockbuster signings, only to miss out on all of them, ultimately resorting to Marouane Fellaini from former club Everton as his sole marquee signing.
Had Moyes managed to bring in some of these players that he missed out on, things could have been so very different.
Cesc Fàbregas
Could Cesc Fàbregas have become the creative engine for a new United era? The logic was ironclad. Paul Scholes had retired—finally, definitively—and the midfield screamed out for invention. The Spanish playmaker had matured into one of the very best on the planet, but at 26, he remained somewhat in the shadows at the Nou Camp behind Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and, of course, the mercurial Lionel Messi.
The former Arsenal man married Premier League know-how with continental polish, and Moyes knew that Fàbregas could well be a pivotal piece of the puzzle. He authorized a pair of bids of over £25 million, offers which were personal appeals from the Scottish boss, but ultimately weren’t enough.
The plot buckled under a single decision from then Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino, who surprisingly selected Fàbregas in his first starting eleven of the season against Levante, a show of faith that resonated with the Spanish international.
He opted to remain in Catalonia for one last season, and United were powerless as they watched the world-class orchestrator slip away. To make matters worse, the following season, Fàbregas donned Chelsea blue, helping the Londoners to the title in his first season under Jose Mourinho while the Red Devils plummeted out of contention.
Thiago Alcântara
Stylish, young, and brimming with audacity—Thiago Alcântara appeared tailor-made for a new United dynasty. A star for Spain’s success at the 2013 Under-21 European Championships, his vision stretched the horizon of possibility every time he touched the ball. A £17 million fee was plausible, and Thiago craved a starting spot—something a post-Scholes United could easily offer.
Yet, this was a new world with new rules. Former Barca boss Pep Guardiola had just taken charge with Bayern Munich, and he knew just how good the young Spaniard was after introducing him to the first team at the Camp Nou. When Thiago’s footballing mentor came calling, the allure of the Bundesliga giants and a link-up with his old manager proved irresistible. At 22, Thiago traded Camp Nou for Bavaria while the Red Devils were left twiddling their thumbs.
Toni Kroos
If football is a game of inches, United’s pursuit of Toni Kroos proved how perilous each step could be. The 23-year-old German, already orchestrating Bayern’s midfield, seemed within Moyes’s reach. Reports confirmed a verbal pact with Kroos and his inner circle. Moyes, armed with rare optimism, quietly believed he’d landed the summer’s coup.
But in football’s high-stakes poker, hesitation is fatal. As United’s board prevaricated, Bayern reconsidered. Champions of Europe, they were loath to sell their metronome. Retrospectives describe a deal that all but existed, until it didn’t. Kroos stayed for 12 more months, starred as Germany won the World Cup in Brazil, before marching into Real Madrid’s midfield the following summer. United’s own midfield muddled on, painfully aware that decisive action in the market had become the exception, not the rule.
Gareth Bale
Some missed transfers sting; others leave a permanent scar. Gareth Bale, freshly crowned PFA Player of the Year after a breathtaking campaign at Spurs, was Moyes’s dream acquisition. The script was written: the Welshman’s dynamism would have transformed United’s stuttering attack, handing the Red Devils a talisman not seen since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure to the Bernabeu four years prior.
Instead, however, Los Blancos would come calling again, just as they did for CR7. Real swooped with a world record £100m bid and partnered Bale with the aforementioned Ronaldo, as well as French striker Karim Benzema. The trio would combine to devastating effect as the Spanish giants claimed the elusive La Decima, while Moyes would be sacked weeks before Bale lifted the trophy in Lisbon.
