When Sir Alec Ferguson held the Premier League trophy for the 13th time at the end of the 2012-13 season few would have predicted that no more league titles would be coming to Old Trafford in the following 11 years.
United had won the title a remarkable eight times in the first 11 seasons of the Premier League with only Blackburn Rovers and Arsenal preventing complete domination. There was also a little matter of five FA Cups in Fergie's trophy collection. After he stepped down things have never been the same.
For a club which dominated the English Premier League for so many years it's hard for Manchester United fans to accept this poor run which has seen half a dozen experienced managers try to turn things around, but all falling by the wayside. That list includes David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik Ten Hag, plus assorted interim or caretaker managers. In Ferguson's time each new season was greeted by "Can anyone stop United?." Now it's "Can anyone stop City?"
All of which explains why there will be so much attention on Portman Road tomorrow when Ruben Amorim, 39, makes his debut at the helm of Man U as they take on struggling Ipswich Town. Can this Portuguese coach succeed where the others have fallen well short?
You can be sure Amorim will come under tremendous pressure if there are any slip-ups and the media and pundits will quick to point them out.
His immediate task is to get the players performing better as a unit than they did under Ten Hag. Ironically there had been encouraging signs in recent matches before Ten Hag's departure. Captain Bruno Fernandes has been almost back to his best and appears committed to the cause. Attacking midfielder Amad Diallo has also been a refreshing sight.
Marcus Rashford's performances have been a mixed bag but Amorim is reported to be a fan of the England striker. Goalkeeper Andre Onana has been very reliable although the defence has at times looked shaky.
But despite a general improvement, being 13th in the league at this stage of the season is just not acceptable for a club of United's stature.
Amorim is perhaps a little fortunate in coming up against 17th placed Ipswich in his opening encounter. However, the Tractor Boys will not be a pushover. They will be boosted by their first win of the season last time out when they upset Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 away from home with goals from Sam Szmodics and sharp-shooter Liam Delap.
It is expected Amorim will use a 3-4-3 formation which served him so well at Sporting Lisbon.
Amorim certainly exudes confidence and upon arrival announced he would do everything "to put this club in the place where it belongs."
He was visibly moved after a tour of Old Trafford which includes images of the 1958 Munich air disaster. He commented, "You see the trophies and you see the tragedy that we have at the club".
He called his appointment "a real honour." He told reporters, "We want to do something special in a special club."
There is no better place for him to start than at Portman Road tomorrow.