Following the captures of Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, Manchester United supporters had reasons to be optimistic ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.
The club had added three world-class players to the squad, addressing areas that needed strengthening, and it appeared as though they had everything that they needed to launch a Premier League title charge and restock the Old Trafford trophy cabinet. Instead, they face the reality of ending a fifth successive season without a trophy and the possibility of missing out on Champions League football for next season.
To describe this season as a calamity would not be too far from the truth. United have, once again, underachieved and it means the size of the challenge awaiting their next permanent manager is an enormous one.
