Legendary boss had lost touch with the modern game in his later years

But Sir Alex Ferguson failed to leave a legacy when he left Old Trafford

Louis van Gaal has come in for a lot of criticism in the aftermath of defeat

How could Manchester United go from being champions in 2013 to being so unrecognisably bad now? Yes, Louis van Gaal is the first stop when it comes to taking responsibility for the current blunders but there is more to it than that.

I'm wondering if Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to put his hand up and accept some of the blame.

It seems a bit too easy to trot out the standard lines: 'Van Gaal is useless' or 'it's Wayne Rooney's fault'.

Some are so incredibly rude they're declaring Van Gaal is too old. Sharper analysis is required.

Manchester United are floundering but they were not left in a good state by Sir Alex Ferguson

Louis van Gaal has been heavily criticised in the wake of United's defeat by Bournemouth on Saturday night

Ferguson led United to the Premier League title in 2013 but that should not absolve him of any blame

For such a great club to have fallen on such hard times (by their own extraordinarily high standards) and look so devoid of the verve and energy they used to have, must be down not just to what the current manager is doing. No, it must also involve more long-term mistakes and misguided thinking.

So yes, United were champions in 2013, but does that absolve Sir Alex from all the blame?

The problem at United is a culture issue: and there are three main features of the Manchester United identity which are hurting the club right now, and they're all related back to Fergie.

And of course, Sir Alex is a legend, who was a true great of the game - that doesn't change. But it doesn't mean we should gloss over or ignore mistakes he was making which have contributed to the current calamities:

1) Fergie had lost touch with the modern game and that lack of forward thinking has directly held the club back. Towards the end of his reign at Old Trafford he was still revered, every word was acknowledged like it was biblical.

But Fergie was from a different era, and consequently he declared he would never spend £50million-plus on a teenager (he was referring to Lucas Moura at the time), he was critical of certain agents and as a direct consequence United lost Paul Pogba. He couldn't understand the needs of his main player and consequently fell out with Rooney.

The legendary former Manchester United manager poses for a selfie with fans ahead of the Wolfsburg defeat

If you think that winning the title was a sign that all was well at Manchester United, then you're guilty of naive thinking.

So when Fergie left he had lost some great prospects coming through the ranks, one of the key players was disillusioned, and key members of the back four missed him so much they couldn't put in performances for anyone else.

Within a year Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra had all left. United had become all about Fergie, and as a consequence the club still struggles without him.

When Ferguson left, key members of the back four including Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand missed him

2) United's youth-team players and their whole youth set up has suffered an inferiority complex, as a direct result of Ferguson's mismanagement.

Allowing Pogba to leave was the biggest blunder. But in my opinion, Fergie also failed to work hard enough with Ravel Morrison. Two of the most talented footballers to come through the United youth system. Both needed seriously skilled management to ensure they would go on to display that potential for the benefit of Manchester United.

Fergie has revealed that he and Pogba's agent were like 'oil and water'. The realities of modern football mean managers must deal with agents they don't like. Fergie couldn't handle it, and United lost Pogba.

Ferguson could not deal with Paul Pogba and therefore let go one of Europe's top emerging talents

Morrison needed the kind of 24/7 handling that Fergie devoted to Ryan Giggs years ago. But Fergie had changed. He no longer ran the club from top to bottom, his omnipresence was long gone.

Bournemouth match-winner Josh King revealed as much after United's defeat on the south coast this weekend.

The consequences of Fergie losing Pogba and failing to manage the talents of Morrison were huge: coming through the youth team at United used to mean you could realise the dream of playing for the first team. Just ask Scholes, Neville and Beckham.

Ravel Morrison is another player who had undoubted talent but left United before Van Gaal even arrived

That's why the youngsters put in the hard work, and they were rewarded. Today, youth players at Manchester United will grow up thinking they're going to end up at Rotherham if they're lucky.

If Morrison and Pogba don't become United regulars, then what chance have the current crop got. Sure Jesse Lingard has made it – but is he the exception that proves the rule?

Of course he is: Cameron Borthwick-Jackson may have filled in briefly and admirably, but hand on heart do you think he will become a United regular? Most of the last United side to win the FA Youth Cup in 2011 have now left the club.

Cameron Borthwick-Jackson may have filled in admirably, but do you think he will become a United regular?

The youth system at United used to be the envy of the world: but terrific players from the academy started slipping through Fergie's fingers and all of a sudden its greatness was gone.

Now it's a supply line for lower clubs to pick up players. Van Gaal is trying to restore its importance, he's fielded a lot of young players in his time so far, but so much damage has been done, it could take some time.

To sum it up, I spoke to a coach this weekend who told me that one of United's most prominent youth-team players in recent years, who left the club to go down the leagues but is struggling, is technically good, but lacks character, application and bite.

That sums up exactly what has happened to the youth system in Fergie's later years at United – players coming through have software, but none of the hardware.

Van Gaal sits alongside Ryan Giggs on the United bench as their season plumbed to new depths on Saturday

3) Ferguson left no legacy. He left behind a team of title winners, but it was also a squad of players who were either ageing, dependent on Fergie, or disillusioned.

No foundations for a rebuild were put in place and Sir Alex has escaped scrutiny for that error because of his undoubted greatness. There was no recruitment plan or structure.

He departed, David Gill went too, and the club has been flailing around in the dark ever since. The first signs of this came when United tried to sign Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini for £24m, and ended up paying £28m for Fellaini who can try all he likes, but he will never be good enough for Manchester United.

Ferguson left no legacy at United when he retired and no foundations were set aside for a rebuild

It's a preposterous sum for a player with no prospect of development, and limited scope of talent. The trophy count of a manager is important, but so is his legacy, and Fergie failed with the latter.

The biggest criticism is how he left the club after waving a white flag to the 'noisy neighbours'. Manchester City, on and off the field, are leaving United behind. Fergie was in a hurry when he knew he couldn't put up a fight. He left United floundering.

Van Gaal has to accept the blame for the failure in Europe and what looks like a side so dysfunctional I'm expecting it to crop up on an episode of the Jeremy Kyle show next week.