No coach, no chance to win the cup, and no real belief.
Manchester United has gone through many gloomy periods in 13 years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. But the 1-2 defeat to Brighton right at Old Trafford in the third round of the FA Cup pushed them down to a new low.
From 2013 to now, Man United's bad seasons have been so numerous that it is difficult to choose a specific "bottom point". The 2025-2026 season is naturally rushing into that group, especially when Brighton has almost extinguished all title hopes since the beginning of January.
Adding to the fall against Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup in August last year, plus Ruben Amorim being sacked, the picture of this season is increasingly like a complete disaster.
The remaining goal in the next four and a half months, in the end, is just a desperate pursuit to return to the European arena. But with what has been shown, even that cannot be considered certain.
Since the 1981-1982 season, the "Red Devils" have never been eliminated so early in both domestic cups. Last season they played 60 matches. This season, after only playing one match in the Carabao Cup and one match in the FA Cup, the total number of matches for the whole season will be only 40. Further, since the 1914-1915 season, they have never played so few matches in a full season.
That's the reality now, we cannot avoid it. We have to face and solve it. This is not the level of Manchester United or what people expect. We have to move forward by winning a Champions League ticket. The Champions League is very important for many reasons" - Darren Fletcher said after the match, with a heavy face.
This week, Man United's leadership must decide who will hold the role of interim coach from now until May. Negotiations have taken place with a number of names, including Fletcher himself, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
But anyone who takes the job will face a club that is clearly lacking direction. Amorim leaves without a corresponding backup plan, and Fletcher is forced to be pulled up from the U18 team. The squad has too many positions that do not meet requirements, and the number of holes to be patched seems to exceed the capacity of a firefighting period.
The upcoming schedule may also make the picture worse. Man City will play away at Old Trafford next weekend, and 7 days later is the trip to the Premier League top team Arsenal's stadium.
Meanwhile, Shea Lacey will be absent from Man City due to a red card in the match against Brighton. The 18-year-old player received a second yellow card in just two minutes after coming on as a substitute, due to reacting to the referee by shooting the ball down when the match was about to end.
The disappointment in the stands had peaked long before that moment. When the final whistle sounded, scattered boos poured down from all sides of the stands. For another part, the reaction was almost indifference when they quietly left the field in the rain in Manchester. They had witnessed too many outcomes like this, to the point of not being able to count.
However, this is only the third time in 42 years that Man United has been eliminated from the FA Cup right from the third round.
We are extremely disappointed because this is the FA Cup. This season there is still a lot to strive for. These players are likely to win tickets to the Champions League and that should be their thinking. The players need to unite, find ways to improve quickly and not waste the season" - Fletcher said, his voice choked up at times at the post-match press conference.
Fletcher, a midfielder who grew up in the Ferguson era, understands the responsibility of wearing the Man United shirt. His call to regain motivation came at the right time. Because no matter who directs against Man City, the risk of the season continuing to decline is present. And things could even become more serious.
When an interim coach has to replace another interim coach, it is difficult to avoid the feeling that the whole club is stuck in a state of stagnation, struggling in the waiting wedges of a new plan. Perhaps it will not be until summer - when an official coach is appointed and the squad is supplemented - that hope has the opportunity to return.
For Man United, the 2025-2026 season may be remembered for a bitter paradox: the number of coaches (3) is more than the number of cup matches (2). In the bottom-fishing period, they somehow still created another sad record.
It's a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit.
