Those words could have been aimed at the directors\u2019 box given that, if United\u2019s campaign ends in failure on all fronts, much of the blame will rest the hierarchy who first appointed Ruben Amorim<\/a>, then stuck with him last summer. Or, Amorim\u2019s admirers \u2013 a band who may not have fully scrutinised his time at Old Trafford \u2013 may insist, not retaining him at least until June. Certainly, the feeling is that he was sacked without any kind of succession planning. The powerbrokers who had a manager who won just 31 per cent of his Premier League matches<\/a> somehow did not seemed to have considered the question of who came next, beyond a crowd favourite who could be a caretaker. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Darren Fletcher warned Manchester United against throwing their season away, again (Manchester United via Getty Imag)<\/p>\n As United weigh up the merits of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick<\/a>, two of their three managers in the torrid 2021-22 season, there is a case for saying it could be a fourth wasted season in five. Perhaps 2023-24 does not count, as United won the FA Cup<\/a> \u2013 it is thought Fletcher merits much of the credit for that, for persuading Erik ten Hag to jettison more reckless tactics for a pragmatic masterclass in the final \u2013 but it was otherwise wretched. There was no redemption to 2021-22 or 2024-25, which both featured a mid-season managerial sacking. <\/p>\n So did 2025-26 and yet it could end with United returning to the European elite. \u201cThese players have got the ability to qualify for the Champions League,\u201d insisted Fletcher. They have the opportunity, too: despite the leads they have lost, the points they have dropped against the bottom seven, an inability to keep a clean sheet, winning only three games since the end of October. Had United been even marginally better, they would be in the top five. There was an opportunity to distance themselves from the pack currently congested between fifth and 15th. <\/p>\n Even that top-four or -five finish, Fletcher argued, is not success; not in the context of the past. \u201cIt’s probably not what fans want to hear about Manchester United because you should be winning cups and challenging for the Premier League,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n But the blunt use of the word \u201cwaste\u201d was pertinent. It has been a constant. United have spent around \u00a31.8bn on signings since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and around \u00a3100m on hiring and firing managers and their coaching staffs. They invariably finish lower in the actual league table than the wage-bill standings. Ineos, who have sacked 450 people and spent \u00a3450m on transfers since Sir Jim Ratcliffe<\/a> became the co-owner, have been both cost-cutters and wasteful. <\/p>\n But Fletcher\u2019s words were directed more at the players he has managed for two games. \u201cThat would be the challenge I would set,\u201d he said. He talked about improving as a collective, taking responsibility, showing their \u201ctrue character\u201d in adversity.<\/p>\n He drew a contrast with 2021-22, a season that petered out. \u201cThere were a lot of players out of contract and there was a lot of different dynamics,\u201d he said. But there are still individual situations. Now Harry Maguire and Casemiro are out of contract in the summer: the Englishman presumably has the incentive of a new deal but the Brazilian, who will not be offered the same wages, looks likely to leave. <\/p>\n Of those with longer contracts, Benjamin Sesko has at least taken a step forward with three goals in two games under Fletcher. Matheus Cunha, an inconsistent figure with four for the season, could do with proving he belongs. Two 2024 recruits, Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee, may want to address the perception neither is good enough. A third, Leny Yoro, has not justified the reputation he acquired before his arrival, but a back four may suit him more than Amorim\u2019s back five.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Joshua Zirkzee had been linked with a move away before Amorim\u2019s departure (Manchester United via Getty Imag)<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Kobbie Mainoo has wasted 14 months under Amorim \u2013 or had it wasted for him \u2013 and could do with first-team football and form. He is one of plenty of players who may want to prove they merit pivotal roles under the new manager. For Bruno Fernandes, the dynamic may be flipped: United could have to prove to him the future is worth hanging around for. <\/p>\n But it all means there is plenty to play for at Old Trafford. Not merely for the footballers, either. There were chants against the Glazers during the FA Cup defeat to Brighton, and their role in creating the malaise cannot be ignored. But, to borrow the old chant about Solskjaer, it is Ratcliffe at the wheel now<\/a>. Like Amorim, the billionaire was not part of the problem when he arrived. That soon changed. \u201cJim can\u2019t fix this,\u201d read one of the banners at Old Trafford. <\/p>\n Ratcliffe must want to alter that perception. But the possibility is that every season under his ownership so far is deemed a wasted season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":241020,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[61,60,112],"class_list":{"0":"post-241019","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-ie","9":"tag-ireland","10":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241019\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Darren](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SEI280448332.jpeg\")
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