Manchester United last won the title in 2013, during Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge at Old Trafford.
David de Gea and Phil Jones are the two players from that title winning squad currently at Old Trafford. Cristiano Ronaldo, who returned to United last summer, has also won the league in the past with the Red Devils.
The Manchester club last lifted a trophy in 2017, when they won the Europa League. They came close to winning the same competition last season, but lost to Villarreal in the final.
Manchester United have endured a difficult campaign this season. They were knocked out of the EFL Cup and the FA Cup by West Ham United and Middlesbrough respectively. In the league, they are currently in sixth spot with 39 points, trailing league leaders Manchester City by 21 points.
El País have interviewed De Gea and asked why United are having a hard time winning big trophies since Ferguson left.
“They always ask me and we talk about it among colleagues and we say: ‘I don’t know what’s going on’. We should have fought for more trophies, more big things, but I don’t know why the team doesn’t go this way, it doesn’t go…”
The only possibility of United lifting silverware this season is by winning the Champions League and to do that, they must first overcome Atlético Madrid.
United’s poor form saw them part ways with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last November and appoint Ralf Rangnick as interim manager until the end of the season. De Gea details the first thing the former RB Leipzig manager tried to change at the club.
“He wants us to be intense, to always try to press, to be very active… It’s costing us too,” the Spain international explained, likely referring to the physical effort required.
“But that’s what we try: to be intense and try to recover the ball as high as possible, try to do damage. We know we have to defend better and we try to do that, but it’s hard for us.”
