Liverpool FC move has made Erik ten Hag's job at Manchester United harder

Erik ten Hag's brief is clear. Make Manchester United the force they used to be once more.

There will, of course, be a myriad of side objectives as well. Creating an attractive and exciting style of play, developing youngsters and promoting them into the first team, significantly improving recruitment, changing the atmosphere around Old Trafford and so on. But what will really determine whether Ten Hag's time at United is a success or not is whether the club becomes competitive again and starts picking up silverware.

That task is going to be incredibly hard as it is and it's just got harder thanks to Jurgen Klopp committing his future to Liverpool. A whole lot harder.

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United's steady decline in the nine years since Sir Alex Ferguson called it a day has been all-encompassing. The calibre of signings, decision-making on contracts, fan relations, the state of facilities at Old Trafford and Carrington, performances on the pitch. Practically every aspect of the club has deteriorated over the last decade to an alarming degree. The only exception that proves the rule is that the academy is still somehow producing a conveyor belt of exciting talent.

The thing is, though, United have enough wealth to insulate themselves from the worst consequences of their own incompetence. The fact they could still mathematically qualify for the top four this season is mind-boggling, even if the chances of that actually happening are close to nil.

United are utterly dreadful in nearly every sense on the pitch. Almost every other team in the Premier League is a better-coached side with a clear plan and players who fulfil said plan.