Ex-Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley believes that the departures of Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill have caused the Reds' demise.
Ferguson and Gill both left their positions at Old Trafford when United won their 20th top-flight league title. Since then, United have slipped from one disaster to the next.
Last season it looked as if the Reds had reached their lowest ebb when, under the leadership of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then Ralf Rangnick, they slumped to their worst points tally in Premier League history. Many have claimed that poor recruitment has been the major problem at the club since the Ferguson era, but Cleverley believes the issue is much deeper than that.
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Speaking to Sky Bet, the 33-year-old said: "When such a large figurehead like Sir Alex Ferguson, at such a big club like Manchester United, leaves – along with the second biggest figurehead such as David Gill – they left two massive holes and a lot of stability that went with that. You can point fingers at recruitment or lack of leadership, but those two ran the club from top to bottom.
"Although the quality of players is still very high, perhaps they’ve lost a bit of the club’s DNA as well." It is worth noting that both Ferguson and Gill have returned to the club in some capacity, however, neither man holds as senior a position as they used to.
Ferguson became a board member at Old Trafford upon his retirement from managing the club. Meanwhile, Gill, following a stint with FIFA, returned in 2019 as a board member.
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