Manchester United fans have every right to dread the coming season.

As all five clubs who finished above them in the last campaign have made major moves in the transfer window, only now is a new addition lurking in the Old Trafford car park.

With Frenkie de Jong you can’t help but think of the mythical Dutch boy who put his finger in the dike to save his town from flooding.

The real Dutch boy couldn’t stop the tide overwhelming Barcelona last season and he’s now being asked to shore up a leaky United defence!

All jokes aside, United’s latest attempt at a reset has got off to an ominously slow and divisive start.

Several big names have left and defensive midfielder De Jong doesn’t exactly bring the wow factor – even at £70 million.

Nor does new boss Erik Ten Hag whom many feel could be out of his depth.

And the rancour that went a long way to ruining last season shows no sign of letting up.

United claim the two bad apples who constantly undermined the club were among those shown the exit door, but the odour has gone only from the dressing room.

What about the corridors of power where fear and jealousy still fester? Or the stands where an increasingly bitter hatred of the owners threatens to spill over?

So far, the headline event of a summer of discontent was CEO Richard Arnold heading off a planned protest at his house by meeting the protesters in a pub.

That’s when he admitted the club “have burned £1 billion – and have nothing to show for it”.

Which is on top of another £1bn plus that has gone in interest and dividends during the Glazers’ 17-year reign of financial plunder and football failure.

Only last week, co-executive chairmen Joel and Avram took the lion’s share of an £11m payment to shareholders.

Gary Neville has called for them to stop paying such sums and put them towards improving the club.

MUST, the Man United Supporters Trust, has said they’re rewarding failure.

In a survey of how English Premier League (EPL) fans felt about their owners, the Glazers got the lowest approval rating of just 4.04%.

Given the levels of vitriol heading in their direction, it was a shock it was that high.

Even Ten Hag’s very first act highlighted the state of disharmony. He upset the carefully laid plans for Ralf Rangnick to stay on as a consultant for two more years.

You can’t blame Ten Hag for wanting a clean slate but it shows the brain fog of those at the top who thought such an arrangement might work.

It was a welcome smack of firm government from the Dutchman as he starts his daunting challenge.

For his part, the previously highly-rated Rangnick was not on speaking terms with director of football, John Murtough.

The German’s admission that the club “needed 10 new players” and “open-heart surgery” didn’t go down well with the man whose job is to recruit them.

Rangnick was forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement on departure.

Even Arnold’s pub chat was not as cosy as it appeared. The CEO specifically asked that the conversation be strictly off the record and bought the fans pints as a gesture of goodwill.

He was uncommonly frank, acknowledging that “last season was an effin’ nightmare,” but it didn’t stop them from secretly filming the meeting and putting it out on social media.

The protesters were from the 1958 group – one of several splinter movements that are losing patience with the way the club is being run and even being supported.

There are splits everywhere and still a fair bit of deadwood in the squad.

Mention Phil Jones, Eric Bailly, Anthony Martial, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Donny van der Beek among others and you get an idea of the size of the task facing the new broom.

There’s also Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, two England stars whose form mysteriously disappeared down the Manchester Ship Canal.

And then, of course, CR7 himself. What to do with him might stretch Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp combined, but so far manager and player have maintained cordial relations.

An attempt to offload his £490,000 a week wages to Chelsea may have been agent Jorge Mendes’s idea to dazzle the Blues’ new American owner, but Todd Boehly wasn’t interested.

Not all is gloom and doom, however. In their great tradition, United do have some tasty youngsters with Argentine Alejandro Garnacho and Tunisian Hannibal Mejbri the jewels in the crown.

Ten Hag will be expected to give them a chance this season.

It’s maybe why he took the job. Indeed, when asked if he was risking his reputation, he said not.

The hope is that de Jong, who will be expected to provide a shield in front of Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane, is the first of several signings.

Tyrell Malacia, a left-back from Feyenoord, and perhaps Christian Eriksen could be next through the door.

But is Eriksen needed when there’s Bruno Fernandes? It’s up to the 52-year-old to follow his success at Ajax and find a winning formula at a far bigger club.

Although Arnold claimed money was “not a consideration”, he also admitted to being “tired of overpaying” and not getting much in return.

United may not be as profligate as in the past which could be why Ten Hag, with his exemplary record of working with youngsters, was chosen.

But he must be given time or his reign could, like many before him, end in tears. Right now, the club is anything but United; just altering that perception would be a start.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.