Manchester United are 17th after nine games and nine matches without a win, mired in the Premier League's lower reaches for the first time in decades
Manchester United sit 17th with seven points from nine Premier League games after a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea, and have not won in nine matches in all competitions. It is their worst run since 1988-89 and raises the question of a genuine relegation scrap.
- League position: 17th after nine Premier League games, with seven points
- Current run: Nine games without a win in all competitions, their worst since 1988-89
- Only PL win: A come-from-behind victory over Ipswich at home in August
- Next fixture: Aston Villa at Old Trafford on 8 November
- Suspension: Lisandro Martinez misses the Villa game after his red card at Chelsea
- At stake: United's first genuine relegation concern since the 1980s, with £700m-plus revenue and £1.15bn of debt in the background
What was said
"We've got to keep moving forward and winning games, simple as that."
"You can look at it like that, or you can look at how far you can move up the league quite quickly if you win football matches."
"That's the way it's got to be approached."
Carrick is not buying the doom narrative, and there is a logic to his framing. A win can lift a team several places in a congested lower half, and United's seven points are not yet a fatal total. But the tone is telling: no talk of top four, no talk of catching the leaders, only of winning football matches.
The manager has been here before as a player. He was part of the West Ham squad relegated in 2002-03, a side that finished third bottom on 42 points — still the highest tally any team has gone down with across a 38-game Premier League season. That experience gives his words weight rather than just rhetoric.
The numbers
- United have seven points from nine games. Continued across a full season, that rate would not even reach 30 points.
- West Ham's 42 points in 2002-03 is the highest total any side has been relegated with in a 38-game Premier League campaign.
- United have not been in the relegation zone after nine games or more since November 1986, when they took a single point from Sir Alex Ferguson's first two games after Ron Atkinson's dismissal.
- Their lowest position after at least nine games since then was 17th in 1989-90 — the same spot they occupy now.
- They were 16th under Ruben Amorim after 37 games of the 2024-25 season, but were 14 points clear of third-bottom Leicester and never in danger.
- United's revenue for the current campaign should exceed £700m.
- The club carries £1.15bn of debt, made up of bonds renegotiated in June at a higher interest rate, a revolving credit facility and outstanding transfer fee payments.
- Football finance blogger Paul Quinn, known as The Esk, estimated Tottenham's absolute revenue loss from relegation at between £197m and £235m.
The historical comparison is stark. United's tally of seven points is the kind of return that turns into a relegation total when extended over 38 games, and their current position of 17th has been helped by results elsewhere on Saturday rather than earned on the pitch.
Injury and availability
Lisandro Martinez will miss the Aston Villa game on 8 November through suspension after his red card at Chelsea, which former World Cup final official Darren Cann described on BBC Sport as "inexplicable". Martinez's longer-term future at the club is uncertain, but he could not leave before January at the earliest. His contract expires in the summer, and his patchy injury record had already raised questions over whether United should trigger the clause committing him to another season.
The wider squad is a problem too. The article is clear that many players need to improve their performance levels, and there is no word yet on Carrick's future — though before Saturday's loss the expectation was that he would be in charge for Tuesday's Champions League encounter with Roma.
The financial picture behind the fear
It is early to dig into the actual consequences of relegation after nine games, but the numbers offer pause for thought. United are among the league's highest recipients of TV income, and the parachute payments available to relegated clubs would not remotely cover what they would lose. As one of the competition's biggest commercial brands, the club would also face uncertainty over how much of its commercial income is protected by clauses triggered by relegation.
United are also about to launch a fan consultation before finalising plans for a new stadium, which are due to be submitted in late 2027 or early 2028. Supporters once again chanted their opposition to a new stadium at Stamford Bridge during the Chelsea defeat — a reminder that discontent runs deeper than results alone.
Why United's fixture list makes the next six weeks decisive
The immediate schedule is unforgiving. Aston Villa at Old Trafford on 8 November is the game United must win, and the seven matches that follow include trips to Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal. That is three away days against sides with real ambition, and it is exactly the kind of run that can turn a bad start into a genuine crisis.
Carrick's problem is that United are not losing narrowly to elite sides alone. The single Premier League win of the season came from behind against Ipswich at home in August, and since then the pattern has been draws and defeats. To climb clear, United need goals from a forward line that has not delivered, and they need Lisandro Martinez's replacement at centre-back to hold together against Villa without their suspended Argentine.
The realistic target is not survival by April — it is to be out of the bottom five by the end of that run. If United take six or seven points from Villa at home plus the trips to Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal, the mood shifts quickly. If they take one or two, the word "relegation" stops being a question and becomes a plan.
Talking points
- United's seven points is the sort of return that produces a sub-30-point season. Does that make the bottom three a real danger, or is the squad simply too good to drop?
- Carrick's West Ham went down with 42 points in 2002-03. Does that make his calm message reassuring experience, or an omen United should fear?
- Lisandro Martinez's red card at Chelsea was described as "inexplicable". With his contract expiring in the summer, should United cut their losses in January?
- With trips to Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal in the next seven matches, is the Villa game on 8 November already a must-win?
What happens next
United host Aston Villa at Old Trafford on 8 November, without the suspended Lisandro Martinez, before a run that includes away trips to Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal. Carrick was expected to remain in charge for Tuesday's Champions League encounter with Roma. Beyond that, there is no word on his future, but the fixture list will decide it.
Frequently asked questions
Are Manchester United really at risk of relegation this season?
United are 17th with seven points from nine games and have not won in nine matches in all competitions. The article describes relegation as unlikely for a club that should post revenues above £700m, but admits it could happen, citing Tottenham's recent fight at the bottom.
Why is Lisandro Martinez suspended for the Aston Villa game?
Martinez was sent off in the 2-0 defeat at Chelsea, a card former World Cup final official Darren Cann called "inexplicable" on BBC Sport. He will miss the Villa game at Old Trafford on 8 November.
When is Manchester United's next game after Chelsea?
United face Aston Villa at Old Trafford on 8 November in the Premier League, having lost 2-0 at Chelsea on Saturday. Their following seven matches include trips to Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal.
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