Manchester United have now gone three seasons without a trophy for the first time since 1987-1989 after they failed to reach the Europa League final on Sunday night.
The Red Devils suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Sevilla in Cologne, despite taking an early lead through Bruno Fernandes.
A top-four finish and a trophy would have been the perfect end to a mixed season for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his players, but this semi-final defeat means the 2019-20 campaign ends on a sour note.
One man who would have been absolutely gutted by the result is the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, who still gets to games whenever he can at the ripe age of 78.
Seven years have now passed since Fergie stunned the footballing world by calling time on his illustrious career, and how Manchester United have missed him during that time.
Everyone knew the post-Ferguson era would be tough for the Red Devils, but nobody expected it would be quite *this* tough.
United have had four different managers since Ferguson’s departure, with David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho all losing their jobs following ill-fated stints in the Old Trafford hot-seat.
Man Utd were dominant in the Premier League during Ferguson’s tenure, lifting the trophy on a remarkable 13 occasions.
But what does the Premier League table currently look like when you add up every result between the start of the 2013-14 season and the end of 2019-20?
Using Transfermarkt.com’s data, let’s take a closer look…
30. Middlesbrough
Games: 38. Points: 28
29. Queens Park Rangers
Games: 38. Points: 30
28. Huddersfield Town
Games: 76. Points: 53
27. Sheffield United
Games: 38. Points: 54
26. Fulham
Games: 76. Points: 58
25. Cardiff City
Games: 76. Points: 64
24. Norwich City
Games: 114. Points: 88
23. Hull City
Games: 114. Points: 106
22. Wolves
Games: 76. Points: 116
21. Brighton
Games: 114. Points: 117
20. Aston Villa
Games: 152. Points: 128
19. Sunderland
Games: 152. Points: 130
18. West Brom
Games: 190. Points: 199
17. Watford
Games: 190. Points: 210
16. Bournemouth
Games: 190. Points: 211
15. Swansea City
Games: 190. Points: 219
14. Burnley
Games: 190. Points: 221
13. Stoke City
Games: 190. Points: 232
12. Newcastle United
Games: 228. Points: 258
11. Crystal Palace
Games: 266. Points: 312
10. West Ham
Games: 266. Points: 327
9. Leicester City
Games: 228. Points: 327
8. Southampton
Games: 266. Points: 352
7. Everton
Games: 266. Points: 379
6. Manchester United
Games: 266. Points: 482
5. Arsenal
Games: 266. Points: 489
4. Tottenham
Games: 266. Points: 496
3. Chelsea
Games: 266. Points: 520
2. Liverpool
Games: 266. Points: 553
1. Manchester City
Games: 266. Points: 558
So, there you have it: Manchester United are down in sixth place, which shows just how much the Premier League giants have missed Fergie since the summer of 2013.
They’ve picked up 38 fewer points than Chelsea, 71 less than Liverpool and a whopping 76 less than Manchester City.
That United’s two fiercest rivals are top of the table must make it all the more difficult for the club’s fans to look at.
Ferguson, remember, won the title with United during his final season at Old Trafford.
Since then, they’ve finished 7th, 4th, 5th, 5th, 6th, 2nd, 6th and 3rd.
However, Man Utd were heading towards the need for a squad overhaul when Ferguson passed the reins to David Moyes, who wasn’t backed by the club during his first transfer window.
Moyes wanted the likes of Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale but ended up with Marouane Fellaini on the final day of the 2013 summer transfer window.
The former Everton boss lasted less than a season before he was unceremoniously sacked and replaced by disciplinarian Van Gaal, whose style of football was never suited to United.
The same can be said of Mourinho, who won three trophies in his first season at Old Trafford (if you count the Community Shield) before he fell out with half the squad and was sacked in December 2018.
Solskjaer came in to mend squad harmony and has certainly succeeded on that front over the past 18 months.
Next season, though, he will need to ensure United are closer to challenging for the biggest honours in order to avoid becoming the fourth manager to lose his job since Ferguson’s departure.