Manchester United have seven games remaining to secure Champions League football but Michael Carrick will need to avoid a repeat of what happened last season.
A 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Friday night has put Manchester United on 55 points in third place in the Premier League table. Champions League qualification is in sight.
It is a drastic improvement from last season’s 15th-place finish under Ruben Amorim – the worst in United’s Premier League history.
Amorim was a bystander as he watched United go on a run of eight matches without a win in the Premier League last season, and it happened directly after the March international break.
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium in 2026 in Bournemouth, England.
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Are you still confident Man Utd will finish third after the draw with Bournemouth?
Champions League qualification only needs top five…
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Manchester United at Vitality Stadium on March 20, 2026
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Man United collapsed after March international break
Towards the business end of last season, Amorim put full focus on the Europa League, only to fall short in Europe by losing to Tottenham in the final.
The results in the Premier League took a dive as a result. After a 3-0 win over Leicester in the final match before the March break, United then went on a run of eight games without a league victory.
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Man United
Man United 0-0 Man City
Newcastle 4-1 Man United
Man United 0-1 Wolves
Bournemouth 1-1 Man United
Brentford 4-3 Man United
Man United 0-2 West Ham
Chelsea 1-0 Man United
United finally ended their run in the final game of the season with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa which came just days after the Europa League final failure.
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But picking up just five points in the last nine games of the season meant United ended the season down in 15th position.
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Michael Carrick comments on penalty decision in Manchester United vs Bournemouth.
Credit: Getty Images.
Michael Carrick has everything to fight for in final seven matches
United’s objective in 2025/26 is very different to the aims in 2024/25, when the priority was success in Europe.
Under Michael Carrick, United have not only re-entered the race for Champions League qualification, but are now one of the favourites to secure a top-five finish.
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But last year’s results after the March break should act as a warning to Carrick and his staff to avoid complacency. A drop in form could easily destabilise the season.
Carrick is also competing for the permanent United job in his final seven matches. His record currently stands at seven wins, two draws and just one defeat in his first 10 matches.
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