£107m Premier League duo have proven why Man Utd are struggling so much, it’s a horrid reminder

Manchester United underperforming in the Premier League this season is not a particularly new revelation after the last decade.

It has now been 13 years since the club last won the Premier League title – in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge.

Since then, there have been a few points of success for Manchester United but many more dim moments during underwhelming campaigns under various managers.

However, right now it feels different than in prior years and that isn’t just because they are only seven points away from the relegation zone mid-way through the season.

United’s problems are not the same

Under previous managers, the biggest problem at Old Trafford often felt like players weren’t playing to their own standards. Paul Pogba was one of the best midfielders in Europe but did not play like it enough.

There are tons of other examples–Anthony Martial, Angel Di Maria, Romelu Lukaku to name a few–but during these years, those players were still much better than many competitors even when they weren’t able to challenge the top clubs.

Usually, if the Reds lost games against the so-called ‘lower sides’, it was due to severe underperformance from a team of much better players.

However, in 2025, the scary reality is that a lot of United players are not as good as their competitors, with clubs all across the league having better talent than the Reds within their squad.

Some of the players at the club look good in isolation. But with the Premier League growing and attracting more and more talent, combined with the fact that almost every team is getting smarter in the transfer market, it has made the competitiveness sky-rocket.

£107m duo send United horrid reminder of struggles

For the Reds, there has been an unfortunate reminder of that in their last two games. Defeats against Newcastle United and Wolves were underpinned by the performances of two players.

Matheus Cunha was the absolutely standout player when United visited the Molineux last week. He scored and assisted in the 2-0 win, with his goal coming from a direct corner kick.

Wolves signed the attacker from Atletico Madrid for around £44 million in 2023 after an initial loan move. That is cheaper than Antony or Rasmus Højlund cost United.

The Brazilian simply outclassed every other player on the pitch that night and has been in incredible form this season, with 10 goals and four assists, despite his team loitering around the relegation zone.

Meanwhile, Alexander Isak put on a show at Old Trafford during their latest game. He scored an early opener before showing some great play throughout the game, displaying why he is one of the most wanted forwards in Europe.

Newcastle decided to splash the cash for Isak in 2022, signing him from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2022 for £63 million. Yet, there were no questions about his quality and has even improved since then.

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These two players are just two recent examples that remind United of the biggest problem they face right now. Their players are not simply underperforming, they are also worse than many of their the opposition.

That was true for some opponents in prior years, but now teams all over the league are beating United for standout talent, and that is a big problem.

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