When the A-League Men season starts without Western United, the players left in the lurch by the club's untimely demise will still be picking up the pieces.

And former captain Ben Garuccio says a similar situation should never happen again.

After months of financial issues and missed payments to staff and players, United were stripped of their A-Leagues licence in August, then issued a wind-up order by the ATO in September.

"Especially myself, being the captain, I was one of the ones that didn't want to jump ship. I wanted to stay there, and I wanted to hope that everything was going to be fine," Garuccio told AAP.

"And for a big part of the time we did think that it was going to be fine.

"The day that they wrapped it up and said Western Melbourne Group were to be wound up and liquida

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