Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has labelled Manchester United's conduct in the transfer window as "embarrassing".
United sit bottom of the infant Premier League table after back-to-back defeats to Brighton and Brentford, with unrest among the supporters being widely documented as they push for the removal of the Glazers' ownership.
Frustration has also stemmed in the transfer market, where United have struggled to land their top targets and have seen a hunt for a new midfielder receive widespread criticism.
Erik ten Hag's side had agreed a deal with Juventus for Adrien Rabiot but pulled out due to the Frenchman's wage demands, while they have chased Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong throughout the summer without making a breakthrough.
United are now widely reported to be pushing for a deal to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid and Carragher has highlighted how the difference between the three players shows the deep-lying issues with the club's recruitment.
"Just look at the Adrien Rabiot deal, which collapsed this week due to the player's wage demands," Carragher wrote in the Telegraph.
"If you are a club like United, you should not be pulling out of transfers - after agreeing a fee with the selling team - due to wage demands. Someone at the club should already know what sort of salary the player wants, long before it reaches this point.
"They have also spent weeks chasing Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong, and now they are running around trying to sign Casemiro from Real Madrid.
"From De Jong, to Rabiot, to Casemiro. They are all different players with different styles and ages. What is the plan here? Where is the strategy? It is embarrassing."
Carragher compared United's transfer approach to that of Liverpool's and the rest of the Premier League, identifying that time and patience is the key to success.
"You have to be patient and do things properly. Liverpool trust in the plans they have put in place, and that is what most top clubs are doing," he explained.
"When you look at United, it reminds you of a team in the bottom three of the Premier League, frantically trying to make a few late signings in the January transfer window. Top clubs should never be panicking like this.
"To be clear, I have very few complimentary things to say about United's current squad of players, as I don't think many of them have the required character or personality to play for the club.
"But it is evident that their struggles are part of a wider problem, stretching back years."
Bruno Fernandes hints at Manchester United departure
Bruno Fernandes hinted he may leave Manchester United in the close season, but insisted he will not consider his future until after the European Championship.
The United skipper has been one of the Red Devils' standout performers during a tricky campaign for Erik ten Hag's side, who are sixth in the Premier League and six points behind fifth-place Tottenham with three games remaining.
Fernandes has chipped in with 26 direct goal involvements (15 goals, 11 assists) - the most by any United player - and became the first player to create over 100 chances in the Premier League this term during Saturday's 1-1 draw with Burnley.
The club are reportedly prepared to sell most of their top players in the close season under the new Jim Ratcliffe regime, though the Portugal international is still under contract at Old Trafford until June 2026.
With the European Championship and an FA Cup final against Manchester City on the horizon, the 29-year-old says that remains his top priority and he will focus on his future further down the line.
"I'm not thinking about other things at the moment. Obviously, it doesn't just depend on me, does it?" he told DAZN Portugal.
"A player always has to want to be here, but at the same time, you have to want him to stay. At the moment, I feel there's that on both sides.
"I'm not thinking too much about the future, not least because this season hasn't been at the level I’d hoped for - either individually or collectively - so far.
"If I have to think about not continuing in the Premier League, it won't be until after the Euros. Nothing will be able to take my focus away from the FA Cup final and the Euros, as there's nothing more important than that at the moment."
Manchester United clearout continues as two more senior boardroom figures depart
Manchester United have continued their clearout under Jim Ratcliffe by confirming the departures of Patrick Stewart and Cliff Baty.
Interim chief executive Stewart and chief financial officer Baty will depart Old Trafford at the end of the current campaign.
Stewart, who replaced Richard Arnold in the position at the start of the year, will be temporarily replaced by Jean-Claude Blanc until Omar Berrada arrives in July, while Roger Bell will take over from Baty.
The news was confirmed by United on their official website on Tuesday.
INEOS Sport chief Blanc is well known to Ratcliffe, who recently bought a 27.7-per-cent stake in United and is in control of footballing affairs.
Bell also has ties to INEOS and will now take up the same CFO role at Old Trafford.
Ratcliffe said: "I would like to personally thank both Patrick and Cliff for their support in helping us get to know the club and making us feel welcome and I respect their decisions to now move on as we establish a new management team for the club."
Executive co-chairman Joel Glazer said: "I would like to thank Patrick and Cliff for their dedicated service to Manchester United and wish them well for the future.
"Both have been a source of invaluable advice and expertise over many years, and Patrick has served an important role as interim CEO during this transitional phase."
Since Ratcliffe purchased a minority stake in United, the club have made a number of other changes behind the scenes.
John Murtough stepped down as football director after more than a decade at the club, with Dan Ashworth lined up to replace him, while Jason Wilcox has been appointed as technical director.
United are sixth in the Premier League with four games remaining, raising questions over the future of manager Erik ten Hag under the new regime.
Al Ittihad 1-2 Al Hilal: Holders into King's Cup final
Al Hilal overcame Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's red card as Saud Abdulhamid's late goal sealed a 2-1 victory over Al Ittihad in the King's Cup semi-finals.
Without Karim Benzema, Al Ittihad ultimately lacked the firepower to make their numerical advantage count in Tuesday's clash.
Former Lazio midfielder, who joined Al Hilal as part of their spending spree last year, received a straight red card in the 42nd minute.
Al Ittihad's Abderrazzaq Hamed-Allah cancelled out Micheal's opener, but Abdulhamid popped up with the winner in the 81st minute.
Al Hilal are 10-time King's Cup winners, having won their 10th title last season.
The Saudi Pro League leaders, who are still without the injured Neymar, will now face either Al Khaleej or Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr in the final at the end of May.
Data Debrief: Malcom in the middle
Al Hilal might be missing their star Brazilian Neymar, but his compatriot Malcom is delivering when it comes to playmaking.
The former Zenit attacker set up both of Al Hilal's goals, creating three chances in total and registering a pass accuracy of 92.6 per cent, better than any of his team-mates.
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