Ajax have been warned that they risk becoming like Manchester United if they don’t stop looking to the past.
The warning comes from journalist Sjoerd Mossou. He believes that the Dutch giants risk falling into the same downward spiral that Manchester United have been in over the last 13 years.
Manchester United announced today that Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become their next manager following Michael Carrick’s departure earlier this week. The Argentine will be the latest in a growing line of managers tasked with reviving the club’s fortunes.
He arrives with Manchester United sitting 18th in the table, a point from safety in the Premier League. They have won just one game in the league this season, the fewest in the division.
It’s another low point for a club whose history has been largely spent at the top end of English football. And Mossou believes it should serve as a warning for another of Europe’s giants, Ajax.
“Manchester United falls somewhat into the same category as Anderlecht,” he told the AD Voetbal podcast.
“And let’s be honest: while Ajax is doing reasonably well at the moment, they also run the risk of becoming that kind of club—a club that wants to keep one foot in the past, yet struggles to remain relevant in the present and future, or to implement a sensible, coherent policy.
“In Europe, Manchester United is the most extreme example of this.”
United ownership
As is clear from Mossou’s words, he’s less than impressed with how Manchester United have been run over the last 13 years.
While some fans – particularly those in English football – continue to relish Manchester United’s fall from grace, Mossou has a different stance. He is unsure whether to laugh or cry at what’s gone on at Old Trafford.
“You don’t know whether to laugh or cry when it comes to Manchester United. It’s an endless saga,” he added.
“It’s a farce of epic proportions. And it’s happened before—at certain points, both Louis van Gaal and Erik ten Hag were essentially ‘dead men walking’.
“It was once a magnificent club, but for the last fifteen years, there’s been nothing left of that.”
Callous Carrick treatment
He is particularly unhappy with how Manchester United’s leadership have treated Michael Carrick over the past few weeks.
He was appointed on a permanent basis in the summer after a successful interim spell that saw United qualify for the Champions League.
But a poor summer transfer window that did not fix the problems in the squad left him struggling to get the results United need. Some believe he should have been removed from his position before now.
Instead, he has been left on his own to front the media while those in charge have remained quiet. That doesn’t sit right with Mossou. He says they left Carrick “hanging in a truly callous way”.
“That’s becoming a defining characteristic of the club,” he concluded.
“On one hand, you have the mismanagement itself—constantly signing the wrong players and appointing the wrong managers, to the point where you’re sliding toward the relegation zone.
“But beyond that, the club has lost all moral standing. Manchester United used to be a great, exemplary club with a respectable image. They had flair and stood for something. None of that remains. It’s not just disastrous; it’s a callous way to run a club.”
