Premier League Team Guides: Manchester United
Sports Journalist at FST, Gareth qualified as a journalist after graduating from university and spent over a decade as a freelance broadcast journalist, commentator and tipster before joining FST. Now living in Manchester, he is a long suffering Bolton Wanderers fan who also enjoys boxing, the NBA, tennis and rugby league.
This article is part of our team-by-team guide to the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Team overview
- League Position: 15th
- Europa League: Runners-up
- FA Cup: Fifth round
- EFL Cup: Quarter-finals
- Top scorer: Bruno Fernandes (19)
Season review
Manchester United endured a torrid season as they finished up in 15th place, their worst campaign of the Premier League era by some distance.
Erik ten Hag had led the club to the FA Cup in the previous campaign and that success may have saved his job, but he didn’t last much longer as the Dutchman was axed at the end of October after a run of just three wins in the opening nine games.
Club legend Ruud van Nistelrooy had a brief spell as interim boss before being replaced by Ruben Amorim in mid November but the former Sporing boss was unable to turn around the club’s fortunes. A run of just three wins in 13 games from the start of December to the end of February effectively ended any hopes of securing European football via the league.
United reached the last eight of the EFL Cup and they made a strong start to their defence of the FA Cup by dumping Arsenal out in the third round in January, but they were then eliminated by Fulham in the fifth round on penalties.
The Europa League was one competition where United did impress as they came through the league phase unbeaten. By the time the knockout rounds began, Europe had become a clear priority for the Old Trafford outfit and they ousted Real Sociedad in the last 16 before a sensational comeback win against Lyon in the quarter-finals.
United then thrashed Athletic Bilbao over two legs in the last four, winning 7-1 on aggregate, but they were beaten 1-0 by Premier League rivals Tottenham in the showpiece.
A Europa League win would have secured a place in the Champions League for United but their defeat means they will be without European football for the first time since 2014/15 next season.
Key stat: By ending the season in 15th place with 42 points, United recorded their worst league finish since the 1973/74 campaign when the club was last relegated.
Transfer window preview
Manchester United will almost certainly embark on a clearout this summer after another disappointing campaign and there have already been a few high-profile exits.
Eight players have been released after their contracts came to an end, including Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans and Christian Eriksen.
Marcus Rashford spent the latter half of last season on loan at Aston Villa and is expected to depart on a permanent basis before the new campaign gets underway. Antony also looks unlikely to play for the club again after his temporary stint at Real Betis.
In truth, United will be open to offers for the majority of their squad but offloading a few of their big names may be easier said than done.
United’s own transfer ambitions may well depend on who they can move on first but they have completed one big signing already by snaring Matheus Cunha from Wolves. Youngsters Harley Emsden-James and Diego Leon have also made moves to Old Trafford.
A new striker also appears to be on the hit list as Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo and Sporting forward Viktor Gyokeres both continue to be linked with United.
Outright odds: 28/1
Top 4 odds: 10/3
Top 6 odds: 4/5
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