Manchester United and the half a billion pounds wasted

The defeat in the 2025 Europa League final against Tottenham is a warning bell for Man United.

Over the past 10 years, Manchester United has continuously invested heavily in the attack to regain the glory from the Sir Alex Ferguson era. However, with a series of expensive contracts and huge purchases on the front line, these investments have not brought about commensurate results for the Old Trafford team.

The bad

Manchester United ended their Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur in the worst possible way. They played poorly (losing 0-1), and their attacks were deadlocked, just like many other matches this season.

No one thought that after 10 years, with more than 500 million pounds and dozens of quality attacking stars arriving at Old Trafford, Manchester United would have to end the 2024/25 season with a rarely seen bad attack. Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee, Alejandro Garnacho or Amad Diallo will end the 2024/25 season with a total of 36 goals in all competitions, a number even lower than Salah (39) or Mbappe (38).

One of the biggest reasons why Manchester United lost to Tottenham in the Europa League final was the poor performance of their attack. In fact, the "Red Devils" spent a lot of money on strikers, but the results they brought were not commensurate.

According to the CIES Football Observatory, Manchester United have the highest net spend in the world between 2014 and 2024, with around £1.19bn spent. This includes spending across all positions, but attack is one of the areas where investment is highest (around £500m).

Despite spending big, the efficiency of Manchester United's attack is not commensurate. Since 2013, Manchester United has only won 2 FA Cups (2016, 2024), 2 League Cups (2016, 2023) and 1 Europa League (2017).

Manchester United's Premier League goal tally has consistently lagged behind that of the top four, with many seasons relying on Bruno Fernandes, an attacking midfielder.

Hojlund cost Manchester United more than £72m.

Past signings such as Alexis Sanchez, Romelu Lukaku, Angel di Maria and Antony were considered failures, while current names such as Hojlund, Zirkzee, Mount (costing nearly £200m) are also playing poorly.

What is the solution?

Manchester United's inconsistent transfer strategy is seen as a major reason for their failure. They often spend big on players to meet the specific tactical requirements of each coach.

So, after coaches like David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag were fired, Manchester United were stuck using the players that each strategist requested to bring in.

The most obvious lesson is the stars brought in under Erik ten Hag, leading to Ruben Amorim now struggling to cope. In addition, the overall decline of the "Red Devils" over the past 10 years has also put a heavy burden on the strikers.

Old Trafford is a place where standards are set incredibly high. Many players, no matter how talented, cannot cope with the pressure to shine immediately. Sanchez and Di Maria are prime examples of those who cannot adapt to this harsh environment.

Manchester United’s attack also cannot function effectively without support from the midfield and wings. MU’s play often has problems creating chances, with inaccurate final passes, as seen in the recent Europa League 2025 final against Tottenham.

Clearly, to improve the attack, the Manchester club needs to build a clear transfer strategy, show patience and manage finances more effectively. This is not easy, using Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his colleagues have talked a lot about the team's change in strategy.

The goal that brought Tottenham to the championship after 17 years. In the early morning of May 22, thanks to B. Johnson's goal, Tottenham defeated MU 1-0 in the Europa League final held at San Mames Stadium (Bilbao).

Source: https://znews.vn/manchester-united-va-nua-ty-bang-lang-phi-post1554867.html