At the end of February 2014 at Karaiskakis Stadium, former Manchester United CEO Ed Woodward stepped forward from his seat to take a picture of the scoreboard. With Olympiacos leading the Red Devils 2-0 in the Champions League, Woodward decided that the image on his phone would serve as a reminder.
At that time, less than 1 year after legendary coach Sir Alex Ferguson left, the Old Trafford team had seriously declined. And this must never happen again.
It has been 10 years since Woodward - who stepped down as Man United CEO in 2021 - took this photo. But rather than just an incident, the forgettable night in Greece was one of many embarrassments and disappointments that occurred for Man United in the post-Fergoon era.
M.U has still won a number of titles such as the Europa League, FA Cup or Carabao Cup. However, Ferguson is still the last manager of Man United to win the Premier League and Champions League. David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag tried but failed.
Ruben Amorim is the latest man to be tasked with returning the club to its former glory. However, some fans are increasingly skeptical that this is an impossible job. The demands and pressure are too great, while the "Red Devils" have fallen too far behind their domestic and foreign opponents.
Amorim was even asked about this in his first press conference before the 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town in the Premier League.
"Call me naive, but I really believe that I am the right person at the right time. I may be wrong but the earth will still turn, the sun will rise again, that is not important, I am not worried about that. I really believe that I am the right man for this job" - the Portuguese strategist said.
Man United want to ease the exaggeration surrounding Amorim's appointment. They have learned a profound lesson from Ten Hag's time in charge. However, there is still hope that in the new structure of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, supported by better transfer processes, the 39-year-old strategist can soon revive Man United.
There is also an internal acceptance within Man United that the context in the Premier League has changed. That means Amorim's success is not on par with Ferguson's titles. Instead, he needs to create a team that can consistently compete at the highest level.
