It is a club built on a rich tradition of glorious, triumphant and cavalier football.
But at the start of one of the most important weeks of the season, Manchester United find themselves accused of betraying their legacy against their direct rivals.
Last Sunday it was a 0-0 draw at Chelsea; this Sunday, they travel to Manchester City.
In the end, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side could be 18 points behind the leaders.
In seven games against other members of the established ‘Big Six’ this season, United have managed just one goal, and that translated into a 6-1 home loss to Tottenham at the start of the campaign.
In the goalless and soulless draw at Stamford Bridge, United had just six shots, two of which were off target.
This means they have now failed to score at home and away against Arsenal and Chelsea this season and have failed to find the back of the net against big rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
They head to Crystal Palace on Wednesday and then it’s the runaway leaders, with former striker Andy Cole claiming his former club can’t afford to make another white against a major rival.
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