Manchester United failure is about to hit the Glazers where it most hurts

The Glazer family were not present at the Etihad Stadium for the latest painful reality check at the weekend, not that Manchester United needed another reminder of just how far behind the leading pack they are.

Whoever takes charge of United on a permanent basis in the months ahead faces the unenviable, if not impossible, task of not only catching up with Man City and Liverpool, but somehow then overtaking them both as well. As long as Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp remain in their current roles, it almost seems irrelevant to include United as part of any serious consideration.

False optimism was harboured last season when United finished second in a season which was highly misleading. With no hostile crowds or a real feeling of pressure on matches, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side effectively finished runners-up in a training ground competition, hardly the benchmark for real progress.

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This season, their shortcomings have been emphatically exposed and, after a weekend in which Arsenal and Tottenham both triumphed, any hopes of a top-four finish now look remote. For United supporters, the prospect of a return to Thursday night European football is harrowing and another reminder of just how much work needs to be done before they can ever consider themselves genuine Premier League title challengers again.

However, it could be a blessing in disguise in the long-term plan, and yes, it still remains a long-term plan, to stop the rot and get the club back on track. The owners might not have had their week ruined by the Man City mauling on Sunday afternoon, but they would certainly take notice if revenue streams were hit once again by a lack of the