Manchester United's board has come under as much criticism as the players and managers but they claim that 'winning trophies' and not making money.
There's a feeling amongst fans of United that the club's player recruitment compared to their signing of corporate partners suggests that money is more of a priority than winning trophies.
The club however have hit back. At a fans' forum ahead of the win over Leicester City on September 13th a club spokesperson said, "Everyone at the club, from the owners down, is focused on competing for and winning trophies at the highest level.
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"To do that, we have invested heavily in the playing squad and will continue to do so. At the same time, the exciting pool of talent coming through from our youth and academy sections is a result of increased investment in this area over the last five years.
"It's important to note that while our successful commercial operation helps drive that investment, the priority is the focus on achieving success on the pitch. Similarly, it is worth noting that we are not looking at or buying players based on their commercial appeal.
"We agree that recruitment is critical. We are committed to getting this right and there has been huge investment in this area to put our recruitment department into a position to be able to deliver the manager the players he wants. This process is significantly more effective than four to five years ago."
United spent big on Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire in the summer to try and stop their defensive problems, with the team conceding more league goals than ever before in the Premier League, but there were still issues.
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Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku left and there were no attacking replacements, other than Daniel James £15 million move from Swansea.
Perhaps even worse though was the inability to add to a midfield that was already lacking in quality and numbers before Ander Herrera left for PSG in the summer.
When Jose Mourinho was sacked the club said that they would hire someone in a director of football type role but with nearly a year since Solskjaer initially took over that still hasn't happened.
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The spokesperson spoke about the lack of a restructure, adding, "We are continually reviewing and looking at the potential to evolve our structure on the football side.
"Much of the speculation around this type of role focuses purely on recruitment. We've materially expanded our recruitment department in recent years and we believe this runs in an efficient and productive way.
"Many of the senior staff in these roles have been at the club for over 10 years. Recruitment recommendations and decisions are worked on by this department and the manager and his team, not senior management.
"We feel the players signed this summer demonstrate that this approach is the right one and any future appointment would complement this process. Regarding transfer budget, we have invested significantly in the squad and we will continue to do so."
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Are United's board more to blame than the manager?
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