Manchester United optimism dwindles amid takeover saga and transfer inactivity

Manchester United fans are not too optimistic about the club's chances of winning the Premier League title next season.

Erik ten Hag has had a transformative impact since taking over the reins at Old Trafford over a year ago and enjoyed a great debut campaign. The Dutchman walked into a house on fire but managed to douse the flames and finally get United heading in the right direction after a decade of decline.

From his handling of Cristiano Ronaldo to his outcasting of players not good enough, Ten Hag has restored discipline and standards to the group and that has led to a dramatic improvement on the pitch. The manager has managed to mould a beleaguered set of players into a cohesive and often exciting unit.

The main objectives of the season were completed, too. United ended their long trophy drought by claiming the Carabao Cup and booked a return to Champions League competition.

ALSO READ: United face three key dates ahead of a possible takeover

But despite all the positivity, it became abundantly clear as the season wore on that United are still a million miles away from seriously competing with Manchester City for the Premier League title. And amid the ongoing transfer saga and inactivity in the transfer market, it's apparently accepted by the fanbase that further progress might not happen next season.

MEN Sport have been asking readers to take part in our massive end-of-season survey in recent weeks and one of the questions posed was where United will finish in the forthcoming league campaign. Only 14 per cent of the 31,915 responders believed United could be crowned champions.

A top-four finish was the most popular prediction with 45 per cent of the vote, followed by top two with 35 per cent. The remaining 5 per