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How many years, and how many managers have Manchester United gone through, in the search for Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor?

The accurate answer is nine years, and seven managers (including caretakers), but really it’s much simpler: too many. And the truth is, what they’ve really been searching for is an identity as strong as Fergie delivered, a philosophy and style that defined the club.

I laughed this week when I heard Gary Neville shouting that his former club should make Diego Simeone their next manager. Honestly. C’mon. I’m not saying he’s anti-football, but some of the antics his team get up to, some of the horrible stuff they do, and the tactics they pursue. Not at Manchester United. The fans would be calling it out within weeks, and even if he actually won things with it, they wouldn’t put up with it for long. United have a certain expectation about how they should be playing, which was laid down by Sir Matt Busby and Ferguson.

Simeone doesn’t fit with that. He doesn’t fit with anyone who loves football, he essentially exists to stop opponents playing football. Which no one should welcome. And that’s what I mean by identity. It’s not enough to be simply winning - even if it helps, obviously. Jose Mourinho found that out at Old Trafford. Clubs need a fit with a manager, as well as a winning team, and his philosophy didn’t fit.

So we know what United don’t