Beaten they stand — United they fall?

In the absence of Champions League football at Old Trafford, Manchester United’s ungainly last-minute scramble for new players is proving to Louis van Gaal the enormity of the task he faces in rebuilding a broken empire.

He remains resolute that United fans show patience, despite no wins in his first three competitive games, a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of MK Dons and a long list of injuries. What more could be wrong? The answer, it seems, is plenty.

They are a long way off from being England’s No 1 team; 22 points was the chasm between themselves and the title last season and the early signs in this campaign point to that disparity stretching.

They are a long way off from being the top club of north-west England; Alex Ferguson’s main goal when he arrived at Old Trafford was to overthrow Liverpool. They slipped from that position in only one year following Fergie’s departure.

They are, probably even more painfully, some distance off from being the top team in their own city; Fergie described them as “Noisy Neighbours”, yet rivals City’s party is only getting louder.

But the biggest reason United fans should be reaching for the panic button is the news of the signing of Angel di Maria. There is no doubt the Argentina international is a sublimely gifted player, but the reason for concern is not his talent, but what he represents.

£59.7 million (S$123.37 million) is a British record transfer fee and it shows how desperate United were to land a marquee signing. But do the Red Devils need a player like di Maria? They have Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Juan Mata, yet they have not replaced defensive warriors Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.

They have also never found a real replacement for midfield generals such as Bryan Robson or Roy Keane, and despite Rooney’s undeniable passion, they do not appear to have a natural leader.

The verdict of former Arsenal title-winner Ray Parlour earlier this week was definitive. “They paid too much,” he told me, before going on to explain that this was to be expected, as Old Trafford no longer has the lure of Champions League football.

“Other clubs will see United coming and in desperate straits, and they’ll add a bit on top, so United are almost backed into a corner with regard to any possible new transfers,” Parlour added.

If they were forced to pay over the top for a player they don’t even need, how much will they have to spend to reinforce the areas in which they are really threadbare?

What type of player would hurry to join a club that offers no place at Europe’s top table? Who would want to join a team with only a scrap for a very distant European place and the FA Cup in their sights? Most damningly, who would want to be part of a team that was knocked out of the League Cup by Milton Keynes? The answer will come before the transfer window closes next week, but whoever they secure, it may prove to be a Band-aid for a broken leg.

As the United boss urges the fans for patience, he must be hoping that the United board shows him the same consideration.

Robert Craig is a football writer with more than 25 years of experience working in and around the English Premier League.