Manchester United are turning into a force to be reckoned with in 2025/26. Did YOU see this coming?
I am going to start this by saying that I am always an optimist when it comes to Manchester United. I like to have the ‘glass half full approach’, and I hope that is reflected with our generally positive coverage of the team.
Of course when the situation is really dire, you have to call it out, and there have been plenty of those moments in recent seasons. But it is the moments of optimism that we all live for, and choose to embrace. It’s what makes football so enjoyable.
With Ruben Amorim SACKED, where will Manchester United finish in 2025/26?
Let's see your predictions!
So what were my expectations for the 2025/26 season?
I’ve been correct in predictions before and burned. We all have. Nobody could have foreseen 2024/25 being so disastrous, that United finished in 15th place.
In that context, my pre-season prediction for United for 2025/26 was that we would finish in the top five, but that the team would take a long time to gel – despite some positive signs in pre-season.
The reason for that was simple. United signed four new players including three attackers, and team chemistry takes a while to establish. Not only that – the three international breaks in September, October and November was disruptive to building any kind of momentum, and then you have AFCON in December and early January.
It was always my expectation that United would show real tangible signs of improvement in the second half of the season, with a consistent run of games, while European football and extra games would take its toll on our rivals.
This is exactly what we are now seeing. United are the Premier League’s most in-form team. We are unbeaten in the last 10 games, a longer run than any team in the top flight. We are actually exceeding my expectation of top five, currently in fourth place and only three points back from third.
What is your message to Michael Carrick after the win vs Everton?
The one major difference
There is one major difference with my pre-season prediction. My expectation was that Manchester United would be succeeding in the second half of the campaign under Ruben Amorim.
Is that naive? Probably. But I never go into the season with the expectation or hope that the head coach will be fired. I believed that in the final stretch of the 2025/26 season, Amorim’s United would really start showing something exciting.
When he was fired at the start of January it was not a total surprise. His results from late October through to January were desperately poor and cannot be blamed just on player injuries and availability. He got a lot wrong, and ultimately cost United a shot at a wide open title race.
Michael Carrick is the man in charge, who has picked up the pieces, inheriting the smart signings made by Ineos, and remoulding the team in the Manchester United way, playing a proper formation, and selecting players in their proper positions.
There are 11 games to go, and we have seen six under Carrick so far. He is unbeaten, providing a steadying influence on a group of players who needed guidance, and freedom to play their own way. The Manchester United way. We are on track to qualify for the Champions League, and unlock a bright new future.
Statistically United are flying. We have already scored more goals than last season (a low bar), but in context, we are the third highest scoring team in the league.
Ultimately I am glad it is Carrick at the helm and not Amorim. It just feels right. He could even be the club’s long-term answer. But I am going to leave it a little longer before predicting exactly what comes next.
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