What was once seen as Manchester United's strength could end up being a weakness.
For years United were streets ahead of the rest of the Premier League when it came to driving forward commercial revenues, able to leverage their success under the stewardship of Sir Alex Ferguson to great effect at a time when English football's top tier had added the gloss through the formation of the Premier League and were appealing to not only a domestic audience but an international one.
It was United who really kicked off the overseas pre-season tours for major clubs, or at least they were the ones who truly harnessed the power of the club as a brand in emerging markets, and they were able to deliver value to partners around the world. Their commercial success was going hand in hand with success on the field, but when Ferguson retired at the end of the 2012/13 season it signalled the end of not only his era as manager, but the era of United being a dominant force in English football.
