Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has questioned whether top targets would be willing to join the club given their difficulties on and off the pitch.
The Red Devils were dumped out of the FA Cup on Sunday by Fulham, compounding a poor domestic season, with the team in 14th place in the Premier League.
United's exit from the FA Cup was particularly damaging as the competition was one of two avenues for the Ruben Amorim's side to qualify for Europe, and they must now win the Europa League if they are to compete in any European competition next term.
Failure to do so could make it difficult for the club to sign their priority targets in the summer, a sentiment that Rooney shared with BBC Sport in the aftermath of the Red Devils' exit, saying: "If I'm a top player playing in a different country and Manchester United came to sign me now, I'd be thinking 'I'm not sure'.
"United have spent a lot of money over the last 10 years. The structure hasn't been there because a certain manager hasn't had a long enough period of time. Every time they're starting to move forward a bit, it gets ripped up again because they've got a different style."
United have only failed to qualify for Europe once since Sir Alex Ferguson took charge of the club in 1986, but it should be noted that they would have missed out on this season's Europa League had they not won the FA Cup in 2023-24.
Would Wayne Rooney, in his prime, join this current Manchester United side? 😮#BBCFootball #FACup #ManUtd pic.twitter.com/9iwGcjhPbG
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) March 2, 2025
Can United get by with their current forward options?
United are currently in the midst of a financial crisis, with reports suggesting that the club have made £300m losses over the past three years, and no European football could significantly damage their ability to acquire top targets.
However, Amorim is in desperate need of reinforcement in the forward line considering both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have failed to impress as the team's central striker.
Hojlund blanked against Fulham and extended his streak without scoring to 18 games, while Zirkzee has scored just once in 17 matches.
Some of their difficulties in front of goal can be explained by the fact United have struggled as a team to create chances - their tally of 33 goals in the Premier League is the sixth-worst record in the division - but the duo have struggled to handle the intensity of the top flight.
© Imago
Could Amorim lose his job?
The club have in recent seasons been linked with the likes of Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres, Napoli's Victor Osimhen and Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Matheus Cunha, but it is hard to see the team finding the funds to sign any of them without significant sales.
Additionally, Arsenal have been credited with strong interest in Cunha, while a host of clubs such as Chelsea and Juventus have been linked with Gyokeres and Osimhen.
Amorim may find that his team are unable to compete for their signatures even if funds were available given they are reportedly wanted by sides that will play European football next season.
Considering 2023-24 has been a disaster for the Portuguese coach, it is difficult to see him surviving in 2025-26 if he fails to land the top targets that he deems necessary to improve his current squad.
Lewis Nolan
