Man Utd have splurged £1.6BILLION on transfers since Sir Alex Ferguson left

MANCHESTER UNITED have splurged a staggering £1.6billion on transfers since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.

And despite their enormous outlay, they have never felt so far away from competing for the Premier League title.

Ruben Amorim's lowly flops are 15th in the Prem table, with the Portuguese even suggesting that his players are partially to blame for mass job cuts behind the scenes at Old Trafford.

Throughout the post-Ferguson era, the Red Devils have attempted to throw money at their problems - forking out huge transfer fees and wages every summer.

But having never previously addressed their football structure behind the scenes, United's scatter-gun strategy has consistently yielded disastrous results.

Amorim's current crop includes £60m Casemiro, £64m Rasmus Hojlund, £55m Mason Mount and £85m Harry Maguire, to name just a few.

Following a decent first season, Casemiro's form has dropped off a cliff, yet United remain liable for his eye-watering £350,000 a week salary until June 2026.

Hojlund, meanwhile, has managed just two Premier League goals this season, and Mount just 237 minutes of game time amid constant injury woes.

Maguire's form has also fluctuated wildly, with the Red Devils having previously tried to flog him to West Ham.

United misfits Antony and Jadon Sancho are both out on loan, having cost nearly £160m in transfer fees and £450,000 per week in wages between them.

Liverpool and Arsenal, the Premier League's top two, have spent £1.12bn and £1.26bn on transfer fees since Ferguson's retirement - significantly less than Man Utd.

Yet they find themselves streets ahead, despite also having smaller wage bills than the Red Devils, per FBref.

Only Manchester City, winners of six of the last seven Prem titles, have a higher wage bill than United.

Pep Guardiola's men have spent £1.74bn since Fergie's United departure, but have the silverware to show for it.

In the same period Chelsea, who judging by last night's fan protests have problems of their own, have spent £2.37bn on transfers, while Tottenham have forked out £1.21bn.

United's current crop includes plenty of high-profile flops, but such a phenomenon is nothing new.

A then-world record £89m was spent on Paul Pogba, £35m on Donny van de Beek, £75m on Romelu Lukaku, £59.7m on Angel Di Maria...

The list could go on and on.

In the first post-Ferguson season, United chiefs allowed David Moyes £65m to spend on Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata.

Since that campaign, the Red Devils have only spent less than £119m in a season twice - forking out an average of £140m on new players per year.

Since his arrival 12 months ago, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been on a controversial cost-cutting drive that has seen hundreds lose their jobs - but the football side of the business continues to cost fortunes without the returns to show for it.

It has been 12 years since Man Utd's last Premier League title and if they do not improve their recruitment, it is hard to see when their next one will come.