Manchester United have less than a 10 per cent chance of finishing in the Premier League top four this season, according to one of football’s most trusted analytics company. The Red Devils have endured a nightmare start to the campaign and are 13th in the table after their first five matches.
United appointed Erik ten Hag as their manager ahead of last season, with the Dutchman enjoying a strong start to life at Old Trafford after leading his team to the Carabao Cup trophy as well as a return to the Champions League. But the honeymoon period is well and truly over for Ten Hag and he has failed to get the 13-time Premier League champions going during the early stages of the new campaign.
United whimpered to a 1-0 home win against Wolves on the opening weekend of the season, with the Red Devils then coming from two goals behind to see off Nottingham Forest 3-2 a fortnight later. But Ten Hag’s side were dispatched 2-0 at Tottenham in between those encounters and have also been beaten 3-1 by Arsenal and Brighton this month.
Sports analytics company Opta have now predicted the final Premier League table – and it’s not good news for United.
The firm have given United a zero per cent chance of winning the Premier League title and a 0.6 per cent chance of finishing second. Meanwhile, United have been given a 2.6 per cent chance of finishing third and a 6.3 per cent chance of ending the campaign in fourth. So that means the Red Devils have a combined 9.5 per cent chance of finishing anywhere in the top 4.
Incredibly, Opta think that United’s most likely finishing position is eighth, with the firm giving the team a 14.5 per cent chance of ending the season there. But Red Devils fans can at least breathe a sigh of relief that the north west giants won’t be relegated this season, with the company also maintaining that there is a zero per cent chance of that happening.
Ten Hag could well be in trouble if results don’t improve soon. And, discussing his side’s poor start to the season after the defeat to Brighton, the ex-Ajax boss said: “We have to improve. There are things for the team and the individuals, who have to step up. Sometimes in those difficult periods, where we are now, you have to face that and you have to deal with that.
“In this moment we don’t deal well with it but we showed that last year, the resilience and determination, also in defence. We have to correct it by ourselves. We can’t blame anyone else. We have to do better, be more resilient and be more determined to get these wins.”
