Manchester United's 4-1 defeat to Como was the latest chapter in their continued downward trajectory in recent years.

The problems go way beyond what supporters saw on the pitch in Italy. It is the culmination of over two decades of instability, mismanagement and tension.

With there seemingly being no end to Manchester United's fans discontent, Sky Sports News' Chief Correspondent Kaveh Solhekol takes a look at how the club got here and what could happen next.

Players are trying to tell fans something is wrong

I don't have a problem with what Bruno Fernandes said. I think it's quite refreshing. I understand the perspective of it should be kept inside the dressing room. I think these players are just so frustrated with the way the club is being run. They want to communicate to the fans that there is something wrong here.

Lisandro Martinez in his comments was saying there is something wrong upstairs. Especially in the transfer window. Fernandes was letting fans know that there was something wrong in the dressing room.

What was Fernandes supposed to say? What's the point of him talking to the media? This is a bit of a distraction. The big story is, Manchester United have been falling apart since the Glazers bought the club. This is just a symptom of what is going wrong.

He and Martinez are performing a useful role for Manchester United fans by letting them have a little peek in what is going on behind the scenes at the club. Why in football is everyone allowed an opinion but the players?

One thing I will say is, how many of these players are good enough to play for Manchester United? How many would get into the starting XI's of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City?

It's not Fernandes' fault. He is probably looking around going 'why am I still here?'

There are no positives and they aren't special

The only positives at Manchester United is that their revenue is at record levels even though they didn't play in Europe last season. Apart from that, there are absolutely no positives whatsoever. I don't think anything is going to change at Manchester United unless new owners come in and pay off the debt that the Glazer family have put on Manchester United.

Being owned by the Glazer family has cost Manchester United more than £2bn over the last 20 years. That is during a period of time where others are putting money into their clubs. I even heard from United fans over the past few days that 'it would be good if we were to get relegated. If we were relegated, the owners could sell the club and we can start again.' That is how bad things are. They are saying this team is worse than the team who finished 15th.

It's not beyond the realms of possibility that this team is going to be stuck in a relegation battle for the rest of the season. Maybe those United fans will get what they are asking for.

Is it the impossible job? I don't think so. I think there are harder jobs in the EFL. I think it is a very difficult job with the ownership structure. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have come in and tried their best, but Jim Ratcliffe lives in Monaco. He is only allowed to be in the country for 90 days a year. The Glazer family live in the United States. You have owners that aren't even in the country for the vast majority of the time.

You've got all the debts that have now been put on the club. This was a club that was totally debt free. You have people at the club who have no understanding of the history and tradition of Manchester United. How many Manchester United people are there? 40 per cent of people have been made redundant, fans are getting priced out of season tickets. There is absolutely nothing good to say about Manchester United.

They are not special any more. Brentford are a better club. Brighton are a better club. You are surprised when Manchester United win, not when they lose. If they play Brighton you expect them to lose. If they are playing Brentford, you expect them to lose.

They play Bournemouth at the weekend. That's 50/50. If Bournemouth win, I wouldn't be surprised, that's just where Manchester United are. The fans recognise that about the club. They know what the major problem is. It's not Michael Carrick. It's not the players. It's the ownership model at the club.

Sir Alex couldn't save this - but he's part of the problem!

You can bring Sir Alex Ferguson back, and nothing would change. United would not win the title again. I'm old enough to remember when he replaced Ron Atkinson. It took him five years to win the title, but he still had some great players and great characters at the club. Also, in those days, Manchester United were richer than anyone else. They had the biggest stadium. They had the biggest support. Their revenue came from matchday income.

That's completely changed. They're not the richest club in the country or one of the richest in the world. They may even drop out of the top 10. Even if Ferguson came back, I don't think he could fix this mess.

Of all the great things he achieved, if you speak to Manchester United fans who worshipped him, they will say 'he never spoke out against the Glazers.' He was the one person 21 years ago who could've come out and maybe stopped the Glazers buying Manchester United in a leveraged buy out. He didn't do that, he went along with it.

You can go either further back in time in history. The whole story with the horse he owned, Rock of Gibraltar, and the disagreement over the breeding rights that indirectly led to the Glazers starting to buy shares in Manchester United and building up their stake until they owned the club.

What he achieved on the football pitch is incredible, but he himself did play a part in the Glazers becoming the owners of Manchester United and everything that has followed since.

The past is one thing, but what about the immediate future?

I'm worried about Carrick. I'm worried about his body language as well. I didn't see that much fight in him. There's obviously a problem with his relationship with the players.

He just seems to be demoralised and almost disillusioned. I don't know what his relationship is like with the people above him. Maybe he feels let down because of what happened in the summer transfer window. It just seems to me watching him even on the touchline that the fight has gone out of him.

Other managers in that press conference last night I'd have expected to come out angry and raging. Defiant. He just seemed really flat. I wouldn't be surprised if he lost his job or I wouldn't be surprised if he just threw his towel in and said 'I don't need this in my life. This job is too big.'