This archive report was first published on 23 September 2019.
Published on September 23, 2019, Manchester United's demoralizing defeat against West Ham was a stark reminder of how far they have fallen under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's leadership.
The team's mistakes at the back, lack of midfield creativity, and shortage of firepower up front have left them well off the pace just six games into the new Premier League season.
Since Solskjaer's honeymoon period ended in March, United have won just five out of 19 matches in all competitions, with nine successive away victories under the Norwegian now a distant memory.
Jose Mourinho, who was sacked in December, expressed his concerns about the team's performance, stating that he did not see any improvement despite the signings of Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Daniel James.
"I like the three," Mourinho said. "I think they are bringing some good quality to the team. But the team as a team, I don't like at all. I'm not surprised by the result and I don't think Ole can take any positives from the game."
Former United captain Roy Keane also expressed his concerns, stating that it was "scary how far they've fallen".
The team's injury woes, including the limping off of Marcus Rashford, have raised questions about the decision not to replace forwards Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, who are now playing for Inter Milan.
With Anthony Martial out of the picture due to injury, Jesse Lingard came on but looked anonymous, highlighting the team's lack of creativity in midfield.
The statistics do not make pretty reading for United fans, with the team already 10 points behind leaders Liverpool and struggling to find form.
