Former Manchester United first-team coach Rene Meulensteen believed the club "missed a trick" by failing to appoint either Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola as Sir Alex Ferguson's successor.
After 27 years in charge at Old Trafford, Ferguson retired at the end of the 2012/13 season, bringing an end to the most successful period in the club's rich and colourful history.
United, of course, turned to then-Everton manager David Moyes to replace his fellow countryman, with the Scot seen as the ideal candidate to succeed Ferguson following his impressive work at Goodison Park in the years prior. However, Moyes' tenure lasted less than a year, meaning United were soon on the hunt for a new boss ahead of the start of the 2013/14 season.
Nevertheless, Meulensteen believes United made a big mistake by not luring Klopp, who was in charge of Borussia Dortmund at the time, or Guardiola, who had accepted the role of becoming Bayern Munich's new boss a few months earlier, to Old Trafford.
"Manchester United missed a trick not getting one of them," Meulensteen told The Sun. "They both have such a presence and influence at their clubs.
"If you ask a Liverpool player ‘Do you know what you are doing?', they will all say 'Yes'.
"You ask City players, no matter how Pep might change things around, 'Do you know what you are doing?', they will all say 'Yes'.
"Ask United players and I don't think you get such an assured answer. Mind you, if either club does not prepare properly for when they leave, they’ll end up in the same position."
Almost a decade on from Ferguson's exit, United are yet to get back to the levels of success they enjoyed under the 80-year-old.
Explaining what United have got to do reboot themselves, Meulensteen continued: "What you have to do — and what you should always be doing — is looking at the team you're going to have in two or three years. That's how a club gets stability and continuity.
"I'm not sure that has happened in the last eight years.
"Are we looking for the next [David] De Gea, [Harry] Maguire, [Nemanja] Matic, [Edinson] Cavani and even [Cristiano] Ronaldo? The club should be looking now at how United will look in two or three years' time."
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