What Can Manchester United Take From This Season?

With Manchester United sitting in 14th position in the Premier League, it's clear that the club is in crisis and has been for some time. Despite winning the Carabao Cup in 2022-23 and the FA Cup the following season under former manager Erik ten Hag, the club has massively underperformed in the Premier League since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in May 2013.

What Is The Problem At United?

Since the departure of Sir Alex, the club hasn't come close to competing for the league title, despite finishing second twice—behind neighbors Manchester City in 2017-18 under José Mourinho and in 2020-21 under Ole Gunnar Solskjær. This might not seem too bad, but for a club of Manchester United's caliber, it's just not good enough.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær is the first manager in Manchester United’s history to win each of his first 3 away games against Manchester City.

He has done it again. 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/WIiTCqYKBK
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) March 7, 2021

The last two seasons have highlighted just how bad things really are for the Reds. After finishing eighth last season, they now sit in 14th place under Ruben Amorim, who took charge back in November. Fans had hoped for a fresh start under the new coach and a reaction from the team, but that has been far from the case. The Portuguese coach has now overseen 17 Premier League games, and the record isn't one United fans will enjoy reading: eight losses, four draws, and only five wins.

Amorim's Arrival

Amorim came in and, from the start, insisted he would stick to his principles and style of play, regardless of the players at his disposal. It has been said numerous times that he needs time and sufficient backing to have a real chance of bringing the club back to the level required to compete.

In a recent interview, club co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe admitted that "some Man Utd players are not good enough and overpaid." Ratcliffe went on to name Casemiro, Rasmus Højlund, Jadon Sancho, André Onana, and Antony as players he was referring to. He acknowledged that the club is in the middle of a transformation period, trying to move away from past failures—something that won’t happen overnight and will take time.

🚨 Sir Jim Ratcliffe: “If you look at the players we are buying this summer, that we didn't buy… we're buying Antony, Casemiro, Onana, Hojlund, Sancho”.

“These are all things from the PAST, we've inherited those things and have to sort that out”, told @BBCSport. pic.twitter.com/Fb0bh7WKEi
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 10, 2025

Back to the current season, which can hardly get any worse—there are still some potential positives to take away. Manchester United still have a chance to play Champions League football next season, despite being in the bottom half of the table. They would need to win the Europa League to qualify, which would be massive for the club in terms of attracting top transfer targets in the summer.

The Reds host Real Sociedad at Old Trafford on Thursday in the second leg of the Round of 16, following a 1-1 draw in the first leg.

However, securing Champions League football wouldn't mean the job is done. It would mask what has been a very poor season but would still put the club in a much better position moving forward. Beyond that, there are other positives to take from such a disappointing campaign under Amorim.

Players And Injuries

The players who remain in Amorim's plans will have developed greater resilience after enduring this difficult season. Some have had to play out of position, such as Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui being used on opposite flanks, as well as at number 10 at times. Joshua Zirkzee has been deployed as a CAM in recent games due to the club’s injury problems.

Diogo Dalot: "I think in top football, especially in today's game, availability is something that is becoming much more important than probably a few years ago.

Football is getting a lot more physical, schedules are getting bigger all the time so the amount of games that top… pic.twitter.com/ggMJKun2Ly
— utdreport (@utdreport) March 13, 2025

Speaking of injuries, there is another silver lining—United’s long-standing tradition of giving academy and youth players opportunities. Amorim now has the chance to hand more minutes to young talents. Players such as Toby Collyer, Chido Obi, and Ayden Heaven have been gradually introduced into the first team over the past month.

Given the club’s current financial situation, having young players capable of stepping up will be a huge boost. They can become long-term assets, reducing the need to spend heavily on new signings to transform the squad.

So, despite things seemingly going from bad to worse almost every week, it may not be all doom and gloom for Manchester United. But one thing is certain—there is an awful lot of work that needs to be done, and it must be done correctly