'Wow, it's just awful' - Man Utd ripped to shreds by former double-winning defender who gives bleak 'big, long trail of misery' summary of Red Devils' plight

The Red Devils have enjoyed the odd high since Sir Alex Ferguson headed into retirement back in 2013 – winning FA Cups, League Cups and the Europa League – but consistency has proved hard to come by under a succession of high-profile managers.

Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag are among those to have come and gone without finding the answers to seemingly impossible questions. Ruben Amorim is the latest to take on problem-solving duties, but the Portuguese is finding the going as tough as his predecessors, if not more so.

Parker, who savoured Premier League title and FA Cup double delight with United in 1993-94, admits that the outlook is bleak. Speaking in association with Instant Casino, the ex-England international told GOAL of alarming regression in Manchester: “I was there for the Palace game – went to the Fulham game at the end of last season and now Palace – and, wow, it’s just awful.

“A lot of people are coming up to me and telling me they are bored. I think that is what it’s become now, there is no excitement. United was always about bums off seats, get the ball out to wide players who could run with and without it, midfield players that can make storming runs into the box – they have lost that. They have lost that X-factor, that box office appeal at this moment."

Parker added: “It worries me how long the name of Manchester United can carry what’s happening on the pitch. Nostalgia-wise, for United, is massive. That is great for ex-players but it’s not really what we want, we want to turn up to Old Trafford and get annoyed because people aren’t interested in us.

“I don’t want to be talking to people all miserable, I want to come out and say positive things. I can’t think of a positive thing to say at this moment in time. It’s just not good.”

United have progressed to the last-16 of the Europa League, while reaching the fourth round of the FA Cup, but are sat 13th in the Premier League table as things stand – with only two wins collected from their last eight top-flight fixtures.