Since the retirement of the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United have not been the same.
A team once feared has become a side in constant flux, needing to chop and change managers just to get the right one to steady the ship. A club that has been on a steady decline is now struggling to recapture the dominance of its golden era.
Yet, for some time, that dip in form didn’t stop high-profile players from joining the club.
Stars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Angel Di Maria, Edinson Cavani, Paul Pogba, Raphael Varane – and even Cristiano Ronaldo, who made a sensational return in 2021 after originally leaving in 2009 – all signed long-term deals, drawn by the allure of the Theatre of Dreams.
In hindsight, many of these signings arrived at Manchester United lacking genuine enthusiasm or sporting ambition.
Often, it wasn’t the club’s footballing project that attracted them, but rather factors like inflated salaries, minimal competition from other top clubs, or the opportunity for one last big payday, particularly for players already past their peak, such as Radamel Falcao.
The promise of global exposure that a club of United’s stature would bring and the financial reward that comes with it frequently outweigh any real desire to compete for silverware or to play for the badge.
Take, for example, former Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez. In a revealing interview with Sky Sports, the former Arsenal striker admitted that he had doubts almost immediately after joining United in 2018. He said:
“I accepted the opportunity to go to United, it felt tempting and it was something good for me, I liked this club a lot when I was a kid.
“Eventually I signed but I didn’t ask for information on what was happening inside the club.
“Sometimes there are things that you don’t realise until you get there, and I remember the first training session I had, I realised a lot of things.
“After the session I got home and I told my family and my agent ‘can you not rip up the contract to go back to Arsenal?’. They laughed, I told them there’s something that doesn’t sit right, it doesn’t seem good.
“But I already signed, I was already there. After the first few months I carried on having the same feeling, we weren’t united as a team in that moment.”
His words sent shockwaves throughout the English League, epitomising a growing issue at Old Trafford – a club still able to attract names, but increasingly unable to inspire sustained belief in a winning project.
For a period of time, they have found it difficult to lure their key transfer targets to the club, which is a concerning development for all involved.
The dominance once associated with Old Trafford has dissipated, giving way to clubs like Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and even Newcastle in terms of competitiveness and long-term planning.
A Legacy That Still Echoes
Manchester United’s historic success cannot be over-emphasised.
Over the past three decades, United were a major force in European football, going toe-to-toe with the best in the world, dominating English football with an outstanding 20 league titles, three Champions League trophies, and a host of domestic and continental honors.
Their trophy cabinet was up there with the best in world football.
The club’s fanbase remains massive, with millions of supporters around the globe, with merchandise, sponsorship, social media engagement (they lead EPL teams with a combined 233.6 million followers), and viewership metrics that still rank among the highest in Europe.
A club’s pull isn’t solely defined by its legacy or financial power – it’s about its ability to attract top players, elite coaches, and valuable commercial partnerships.
It’s about convincing superstar talents that the club represents the right project for their ambitions. That kind of pull is sustained through relevance, strong structure, and consistent competitiveness.
Post-Ferguson Decline
12 years since Sir Alex left United, they have had seven full-time managers, including two caretaker managers.
However, in that period they’ve only been able to finish second on the league table, but have secured two FA Cups, two League Cups and the Europa League.
An impressive trophy collection – for a mid-table team, not for a club of United’s calibre.
Last season, they suffered their worst league run since 1973/74, finishing in an abysmal 15th position, breaking every wrong record in the process, losing 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final, ultimately handing them their first trophy since 2008, and their first European silverware since the 1983/84 season.
Considering the club’s form, statistics, and overall progress, elite players are unlikely to want to involve themselves in a situation clouded by uncertainty about their future.
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Does Manchester United Still Have the “Pull”?
In the football world today, only a few teams have a greater influence than Manchester United.
For years, the Red Devils stood as the yardstick of measuring sporting success, drawing in global icons, commanding television screens across continents and dictating the pattern of the transfer market.
Years ago, players offered themselves to United, as they were the dream club of most players.
But in 2025, after over a decade of inconsistency, uncertainty and post-Ferguson disorder, the question now echoes louder than ever: Does Manchester United still have the pull?
The arrival of Jose Mourinho in 2016 gave a glimmer of hope that the club still had its pull. During his time at the helm, big names like Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan walked through the doors, signalling ambition.
The Portuguese tactician delivered immediate success, leading Manchester United to their first-ever UEFA Europa League title, alongside triumphs in the EFL Cup and Community Shield.
His reign appeared to restore belief and attract quality players once again. However, the optimism was short-lived, as a turbulent 2018/19 season, marked by inconsistent performances and dressing room unrest, led to Mourinho’s dismissal in December 2018.
Years later, in 2022, Dutch coach Erik ten Hag, renowned for guiding Ajax to a miraculous Champions League semi-final run, was appointed with the belief that his knack for developing young talent could help revive the club’s fortunes.
Erik ten Hag was initially backed in the transfer market with signings like Lisandro Martinez and Andre Onana, along with former Ajax players Matthijs de Ligt and Antony, both of whom had played under him before.
At the time, it gave the impression that United still had strong pulling power. But in reality, these were familiar, young talents eager to reunite with their former coach.
If Ten Hag had taken charge of a different club, there’s every possibility that they would have followed him there instead.
Manchester United’s 2022/23 League Cup win and third-place league finish briefly brought belief in Erik ten Hag’s project.
It helped attract players like Mason Mount – a supposed boyhood Chelsea fan, who was determined to join despite the Blues’ reluctance – and Sofyan Amrabat, both of whom had other options.
The signings suggested United’s name still carries weight, albeit not as decisively as it once did.
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When History Stops Winning Games
Top players today, especially the younger generation, are not influenced by past glories and historical dominance, as they did not witness it.
They are more about present-day competitiveness.
Clubs like Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich, have shown the necessary Champions League consistency, upward trajectories, and now offer more stable environments, as the project they present to the player they intend to sign is a key factor in deciding if they are worth joining or not.
Even Arsenal, who have completed the signing of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, are set to complete the signing of one of the hottest striking prospects in world football, Victor Gyokeres.
This is possible because the Gunners have shown progress under Mikel Arteta and are now looking like a more appealing side.
For today’s generation of players, Manchester United’s once-mighty pull seems to have faded. Online debates and social media banter now claim that any player heading to Old Trafford is doing so more for a payday than ambition.
Take their prolonged pursuit of Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, a deal that has dragged on for months without progress.
Back in Sir Alex Ferguson’s era, such a transfer would likely have been wrapped up quickly, with players eager to join under his legendary leadership. But can Ruben Amorim command that same level of allure?
So, Do They Still Have It?
Yes, they do and No, they don’t.
Yes, they do, in terms of dealerships, endorsements, etc. In the business aspects of things, Manchester United are still a force to be reckoned with.
They have the pull – commercially, historically, and to a degree, emotionally. They remain one of the biggest clubs in the world, and their badge continues to turn heads.
No, they don’t, in the footballing aspect, their pull has diminished.
Their project has lost value and is no longer attractive. The best players want trophies, Champions League football, tactical coherence, and progressive development.
These are things United must earn back. Simply putting on the red shirt isn’t enough anymore.
A footballer’s career is relatively short, and spending prime years at a stagnant club, without any real form of progress would see valuable years gone, aside from a boosted bank account, which for some players today seems to be the main motivation.
In a world where football is increasingly about the present, Manchester United must do all they can to ensure they don’t become a team of past glories, a team of history, a team that only used to pull.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Sportimage
Recording Date: 21.05.2025