Manchester United could get the transfer wake-up call they need from Man City or Liverpool FC

For football fans, there's little worse than seeing followers of rivals clubs having all the fun, so Manchester United supporters will be reaching for their remote controls by the thousands in April.

While United's season threatens to wind down into mediocrity and their worst campaign yet in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson years, they will find the excitement around the three clubs they should have been challenging this season unavoidable and unbearable. This was supposed to be the year United finally summonsed a fight at the top of the Premier League table, but instead, they've slipped into Europa League contention while Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have shot clear.

When the season resumes in the first weekend of April it will be Liverpool chasing an unprecedented quadruple, City trying to match United's 1999 treble and Chelsea trying to do the double of FA Cup and Champions League, having already won the Club World Cup. If you thought the mood couldn't get any worse around Old Trafford then the next couple of months might put that theory to the test.

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For those three clubs the big games just keep on coming in April and May, but for United the best they can hope is to still be in contention for a top-four shootout with Arsenal when they travel to the Emirates on April 23. The real gutwrenching blow for United is that it should be them competing for the biggest trophies when winter turns to spring, but there are a billion reasons why that isn't the case.

Over the last 10 years it is this quartet of clubs that clearly lead the way in spending in the Premier League. For City, Liverpool and Chelsea that has bought success and put all three in with a