One Premier League manager has privately admitted that he would only take one Manchester United player from Ruben Amorim’s squad.
Manchester United have had a terrible domestic campaign this term, with the club positioned 16th in the Premier League table with two games remaining.
It is a historically bad season for the Reds, who still have the chance of winning European silverware with the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur coming next week.
However, even if Ruben Amorim’s side are victorious in that match, it will not wipe away the problems that exist at Old Trafford, of which there are many.
Things haven’t exactly been rosey for United in the last decade, but even those with the most negative view of the club would be surprised at the state of the Old Trafford side this season.
Premier League boss privately slams United
Many opposition managers in the Premier League have shown sympathy to Amorim in their press conferences, and they always seem to warn their own teams that the Reds have difference-makers.
However, in private, they seem to speak very differently about a club currently sitting 16th in the table.
Football journalist Andy Mitten revealed on the Talk of the Devils podcast this week exactly how many of these managers see the situation at United behind-the-scenes, with one saying that he would only take Bruno Fernandes from the squad into his own team.
“I’ve spoken to Premier League managers this year who are far stronger in private than they would be in public when talking about how bad Manchester United are,” Mitten began.
“A. because it makes headline news, and B. because it’s not really any of their business – they actually can’t believe how bad Manchester United are.
“One of them said to me, ‘Bruno Fernandes is the only player who I would take from that team’, and this is from a club that Manchester United normally beat all the time, but don’t anymore.”
Premier League competition has been catalyst to United’s downfall
One of the biggest aspects of United’s downfall in recent years has been the increase in quality from the rest of the Premier League teams.
Back in 2015, the Reds could make mistakes with signings and still outmuscle the majority of their competitors, simply because their teams were not good enough.
Now, in 2025, you look across the division and find players who would be among United’s best players across almost all teams. Matheus Cunha at Wolves, Bryan Mbeumo at Brentford, Carlos Baleba at Brighton. The list goes on.
Not only that, but these teams also are able to attract top managers and have the right sporting projects to make things tick for them across the board.
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And now, it’s even harder – or nearly impossible – for the Reds to pinch players from these clubs as they are not financially dependent on sales as much any more.
The competition has gotten stronger, and United have continued to make the same mistakes, which has placed them in the shocking position they are now trying to get themselves out of.
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