MU is in a difficult situation, "blocked by mountains when moving forward and blocked by rivers when moving backward."

Manchester United's attack is having problems, with Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku failing to live up to expectations. Lukaku has gone six consecutive games without scoring, while Sanchez has only managed one goal this season.

Sitting comfortably while enjoying the fruits of others' labor.

Surprisingly, Alexis Sanchez recently stated that moving to Old Trafford was a mistake, a step backward professionally. Initially, everyone thought he would move to Manchester City during the winter transfer window, but Alexis Sanchez unexpectedly accepted an offer to join Manchester United. At Old Trafford, he will become the highest-paid player in Premier League history (£350,000 after tax).

Alexis Sanchez is proving to be a flop at Manchester United. Photo: AFP

Despite their strong desire to sign him, Manchester City were forced to withdraw from the deal. They couldn't meet Sanchez's salary demands and the £15 million agent fee for Fernando Felicevich. This is in addition to the £15 million transfer fee they would have to pay Arsenal. Meanwhile, Manchester United were willing to meet all of Sanchez's salary demands and use Henrikh Mkhitaryan as a bargaining chip to snatch him from their city rivals.

Manchester United paid too high a price for Sanchez. Disappointed with his number 7, Jose Mourinho is even considering loaning Zlatan Ibrahimovic from LA Galaxy in the future. The Portuguese strategist is keen to have the 37-year-old star lead the club's attack. Alexis Sanchez will have until Christmas to think things over, starting with the match against Chelsea in round 9.

Despite having the highest salary in the Premier League, Sanchez's poor goalscoring form is harming both Manchester United and himself. Sanchez has been benched in several recent matches, but this isn't a good solution for either party.

Self-activate the contract?

For goalkeeper De Gea, the key issues are salary and the thirst for trophies..The 27-year-old star is in the final year of his four-year contract signed in 2015, despite an option to extend it for another 12 months. Manchester United have offered him a new contract worth a staggering £375,000 per week for five years, but the Spanish goalkeeper has yet to agree to it after a year.

Manchester United have offered De Gea a new contract worth a staggering £375,000 per week over five years. (Photo: AFP)

Unlike Alexis Sanchez, De Gea's form for Manchester United has been quite high, providing a solid foundation for the defense during a period when the central defenders were constantly making mistakes. De Gea is currently one of the goalkeepers with the best reflexes in the world.

Manchester United are considering activating a one-year extension clause to keep the goalkeeper at least until after next season. The MU owners are well aware that Real Madrid is De Gea's most desired club; he was very close to joining the Royal team in the past if the transfer hadn't unexpectedly collapsed at the last minute in the summer of 2015.

But now, the path back for the Spanish national team's number one goalkeeper is blocked, as Real Madrid signed Thibaut Courtois from Chelsea last summer. Paris Saint-Germain also signed Gianluigi Buffon, and Barcelona is not the destination De Gea was hoping for.

In recent days, the presence of "super agent" Jorge Mendes representing De Gea in Manchester has confirmed that both sides are working hard to finalize this agreement. The key issue is probably not salary. It seems that goalkeeper De Gea is hoping for strong action from the Old Trafford management so that MU can soon achieve stability and a greater chance of winning.