Manchester United Have a Point to Prove Next Season

By Marwan Harraz | Jun 24, 2016

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 22: Jose Mourinho leaves his home on May 22, 2016 in London, England. Mourinho is rumoured to be in line to replace Louis van Gaal as manager of Manchester United. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images) /

Manchester United find themselves in an unfamiliar yet familiar position once again, three seasons on from Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.

It’s unfamiliar because last season ended with Manchester United not challenging for the Premier League title, and yet it’s familiar because it’s been the story of the past three seasons.

United have failed to recover from Ferguson retiring despite the silver linings of qualifying for the Champions League two seasons ago and winning the FA cup last season. There’s still the feeling that United are not quite themselves just yet and season after season it’s becoming even more worrying than the last.

A Liverpool-esque collapse remains a concern for United. How long will the club get away with the label of being in transition? How long will it take to bounce back from three seasons of not challenging for the title? More importantly, will United ever recover?

This upcoming season has a fresh-start feel to it with a new manager and, with it coming on the back of winning a trophy, it’s important that United redirect the club’s path back to glory. Likewise, Jose Mourinho will have much to prove this upcoming season, too.

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There were rumours that many club legends disapproved of Mourinho, believing he would ruin the image of the club.

He was also supposedly overlooked by Ferguson for similar reasons in 2013.

Some people say Mourinho has always wanted to manage United and that it’s been a dream of his for many years before even moving to Chelsea.

While the Portuguese’s giddiness shows clearly in his Instagram posts and interviews, Mourinho has to prove his doubters wrong this season.

Analysts have stated that he burns out squads due to his reliance on a consistent starting XI and his training methods. Others say what’s the point in hiring him if he quite often leaves a club worse off than when he arrived.

United are known for keeping services of their players and staff up until their retirement, but many doubt that Mourinho will stay past his usual three-year post at a club.

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Regardless of his methods at clubs, other people have decided to write Mourinho off after his Chelsea team went from champions to shambles in a manner of months.

They point out that he hasn’t progressed tactically in a while, consistently using his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation at Real Madrid and Chelsea.

They say this is one of the reasons for Chelsea’s decline, and so they write Mourinho off as a manager who’s in decline himself.

All these criticisms should motivate Mourinho to prove everyone wrong. If all goes well, both he and United will rise at the same time.

He must prove he has what it takes to bounce back from failure. After all, he has taken over a club that many have deemed a failure over the past three years.

Lastly, Ed Woodward has something to prove. With him at the helm, United have sold cheaply and bought expensively, with agents and clubs alike taking advantage of his naivety. There have also been criticisms in his choice of managers.

While the club stated that Ferguson was allowed to choose his successor, it’s highly likely that Ed Woodward played a part in the Moyes’ appointment.

The Scot eventually proved to be the wrong choice, and when Woodward had his shot at redemption, he chose Louis van Gaal. At the beginning, many were excited at the Dutchman’s appointment due to his successful spell in charge of the Netherlands.

Others, however, were still slightly skeptical of his appointment. It simply didn’t have the feel of a world-class manager joining a world-class club.

This time, though, with Mourinho being brought in, a lot of fans, former players and managers have applauded the move and were quickly on the Mourinho bandwagon.

However, with Woodward’s track record, it would be understandable to remain a little cautious and wonder whether it was right to hire a manager who took Chelsea to a lower position than even Moyes did with United.

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So, it’s fair to say that United, Mourinho and Woodward have plenty to prove this upcoming season. But considering how the past three seasons have gone for the club, who knows what’s going to happen. On the face of it, though, it appears Woodward has made the right choice. Many fans and players can’t contain their excitement. Bring on August!

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