“It says enough that the club has never won the championship since then,” Meulensteen recently told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
“The worst part is that United have completely lost their identity. Everything Ferguson had built up over the years has been thrown overboard. United had their own way of playing, they played in an attractive, creative way. But that recognisable United football is gone.
“If you want to be successful it is important to have continuity in your vision and a solid, stable organisation. United no longer have either of those things, while Liverpool with Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City with Pep Guardiola do have that stability. You can see that in their successes.”
“There were two options [Ferguson left],” the current Australia assistant coach said.
“Get someone from the outside who would do things entirely differently at once. Or involve Ferguson in the new course, in which the staff he had built up over the years could also play a role.
“With the appointment of David Moyes, the first choice was made – and that meant the rest of the staff could also leave with Ferguson.”