Coach Ruben Amorim was right to say that this could be the worst team in Manchester United's history. They are experiencing their worst run of results in the Premier League era.
The last time Man United lost more than 12 of their first 25 league games was in the 1973-1974 campaign, a season in which they were relegated. Notably, things have gotten worse under Amorim compared to Erik ten Hag. The Portuguese tactician has won just four of his 14 Premier League games.
Only bottom-placed Southampton (7.9%) have a worse shot conversion rate than Man United (8.4%) in the Premier League this season. Their top scorer, Bruno Fernandes, has only scored five goals in the league. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah has scored 24 goals, Erling Haaland scored 19 goals and Chris Wood scored 18 goals.
Why didn't Man United put all their efforts into recruiting Harry Kane or Victor Osimhen, who have proven to be able to solve such a poor scoring rate?
Off the pitch, the club are cutting staff after losing £300 million over the past three years. They paid Newcastle £3 million in compensation to recruit Dan Ashworth as sporting director and then continued to spend £4 million to let him leave.
The Red Devils will travel to Goodison Park this weekend, one point behind Everton. This is both a tribute to the revival that David Moyes inspired Everton and a worrying reversal of fate for Amorim.
After a 4-0 win over Everton in the first leg at Old Trafford on 1 December 2024, Man United are in 9th place. They have now dropped to 15th. Marcus Rashford and Antony, both of whom left the club on loan last month, are enjoying a new life at Aston Villa and Real Betis.
Worse, Amad is out for the rest of the season and Kobbie Mainoo is unlikely to feature before April due to a calf injury. They have just taken a step forward and then backed up two steps.
To save a disastrous season, Amorim needs to help Man United win the Europa League. That is the most likely path for them to return to the Champions League. Of course, it is easier to say than do. Real Sociedad are one of the toughest opponents they could face in the round of 16. And there are still a number of other big teams on the list, including Tottenham - who have beaten Man United three times this season.
