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Gary Neville has taken the opposite approach to some Manchester United fans on a major issue in the Red Devils’ Premier League campaign under Michael Carrick now.
Manchester United have managed only two wins from 13 matches across all competitions in the 2026-27 season and Michael Carrick is under serious pressure.
The Red Devils have not won in the Premier League since August after a Bruno Fernandes-inspired hat-trick fired Man Utd to a 5-2 victory over Ipswich Town.
Carrick’s managerial woes this season were on full display at the weekend after Man Utd lost 2-0 to Chelsea in their Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.
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Gary Neville doesn’t think Man Utd are in a relegation fight, but early complacency is creeping in now
Chelsea’s win over Manchester United has left the Red Devils in 17th place and Michael Carrick’s men are level on points with 18th-place Crystal Palace. United have seven points from a possible 27 in their opening nine league matches and the narratives have spawned about a potential relegation battle for Carrick’s side.
“I don’t think it’s at that stage [where Manchester United are in a relegation battle],” Gary Neville told Sky Sports.
“I don’t think they will end up there, but it’s a worry. It’s a real depression of results, a depression of performances. And they’ve got difficult games coming up.”
While Sky Sports pundit Neville does make a valid assessment of a “depression” at Man Utd across all competitions, the Red Devils are well and truly in a relegation battle. Tottenham, for example, were third in the Premier League table after nine league matches last season.
Fast-forward to the end of the 2025-26 campaign and Spurs narrowly edged out Premier League relegation after finishing 17th in the table. The narrative of relegation haunted Tottenham for large parts of last season after things quickly unravelled at Spurs under Thomas Frank.
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Tottenham had 19 points at this stage last season compared to United’s seven, as the Red Devils have collapsed even quicker under Carrick. United legend Neville is downplaying that his former Premier League side are in a far worse position on the momentum front.
The Red Devils have averaged around 0.78 points from their last seven Premier League matches since United’s comeback win against Ipswich Town. United’s defensive structure has been a concern this season, as the Red Devils have conceded 15 times and Senne Lammens does not have a single Premier League clean sheet.
Neville’s depression remarks downplay the deflation of attacking momentum for United this season as well. Man Utd have only scored 10 times in their opening nine Premier League matches and Bryan Mbeumo leads the way at the top scorer with four.
If Bryan Mbeumo is struggling to make an impact in the final third, then the Red Devils are lacking someone else to drag them over the finishing line in matches for a win. That responsibility would usually fall on the shoulders of Bruno Fernandes, who did exactly that during the Ipswich match.
Outside of United’s only Premier League win, Fernandes’ form has fallen well short of the high expectations on his shoulders and the Red Devils lack a single player who could single-handedly ensure they avoid relegation this season. Unless there is a huge surge in form from one player like Bryan Mbeumo or Fernandes, then the Red Devils are well and truly in a relegation battle this season.