Manchester United should copy Man City model to avoid falling further behind them

With Chelsea owner Todd Boehly seeking opportunities to emulate City Football Group and Red Bull in the way that they hold majority stakes in several clubs across the world, the question needs to be raised, should Manchester United be following suit?

During Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure at United they adapted a similar approach to what has been used by the likes of Man City today with their most notable partnership was with Belgian side Royal Antwerp. Although they didn’t share the same owners, the two clubs had a mutual agreement that saw over thirty United players develop their game on loan in Belgium.

This partnership proved to be mutually beneficial as Royal Antwerp earned promotion to Belgium’s top flight, with significant contributions from Fergie’s young talents. A model that was seen as a decade ahead of its time and one that was a reminder why United were firmly on their perch at the top of the Premier League.

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Although United still share partnerships with many clubs around the world, they are very rarely utilised at all, or even remotely close to its full capacity. It is also well known that United possess one of the most built-up global scouting networks in world football. However, for whatever reason among the structure of the staff, United have seldom sought to acquire an unknown gem and rather opted for ‘big name’ signings.

This is an approach that has been largely criticised and proven over a number of years to not be entirely efficient but the club remains persistent in their approach. A sharp contrast to successful league rivals in the last decade.

City Football Group has stakes in a plethora of teams from across the world