Are Manchester United really at risk of a relegation scrap?

Michael Carrick expressed the need to keep moving forward and winning games after Manchester United's 2-0 defeat by Chelsea. Carrick himself has experienced relegation once before, with West Ham in 2002-03. That season, United finished at the bottom of the table with 42 points, the highest tally for a side to be relegated across a 38-game Premier League campaign. United would need to win an incredible seven points from nine games to break even at the end of a full season.

United has not been in the relegation zone after nine games or more since November 1986, the previous worst position being 17th in the 1989-90 season. However, since this time, they have been in the bottom three for nine consecutive games in all competitions. Carrick's side has not won a Premier League match since August, when they beat Ipswich on home soil.

While United's supporters have experienced lower table positions recently, they were 14 points clear of third-bottom Leicester in the 2024-25 season. However, recent years have seen clubs like Tottenham face relegation threats, finishing third bottom in the 2023-24 season.

Carrick believes United need to win matches to avoid relegation, with their next game against Aston Villa on 8 November. The article concludes that while it's unlikely, United facing relegation is a serious concern given their current poor form.