Supercomputer Reveals Shocking Man Utd Season Prediction as Carrick Steps Into Hot Seat

Following a lackluster opening half of his debut complete campaign in charge, Manchester United appeared willing to place their faith in Ruben Amorim to spearhead a prosperous long-term vision at Old Trafford.

Nevertheless, a disagreement with football director Jason Wilcox, among those advocating for the Portuguese manager to adopt a four-man defense, abruptly made Amorim's situation unsustainable. Within moments, Man Utd's newest optimism had departed, compelling the organization into their seventh temporary appointment since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure.

The Red Devils have consistently chosen familiar faces when selecting caretakers, and this occasion follows the same pattern. Indeed, former midfielder Michael Carrick, who served on José Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjær's coaching teams at the club, is receiving another opportunity at the role, this time for a substantial period.

Carrick previously acted as Man Utd's temporary manager between Solskjær and Ralf Rangnick, securing victory in two of his three matches in command. Currently, the former Middlesbrough manager has until the conclusion of the 2025–26 campaign to make his mark, with INEOS presumably hoping for consistency rather than anything particularly spectacular.

Although United have largely disappointed this season, they find themselves in a reasonably favorable position regarding their Premier League status. Securing a top-five placement and therefore qualification for next season's Champions League should be the objective, and here's how Opta's analytical system is presently forecasting the remainder of the campaign for Carrick's United.

Current Predicted 2025–26 Premier League Table

Current Predicted 2025–26 Premier League Table

Upon Carrick's appointment, Man Utd find themselves merely one point behind fifth-positioned Brentford. The middle section is undeniably crowded, with only seven points dividing the Bees from Bournemouth in 14th position. Consequently, any team within that range will consider they have at least some opportunity to mount a challenge during the season's latter half.

Opta, however, believes the competitive nature of the standings will disadvantage United. They're forecasting Carrick to guide the Red Devils to an eighth-position finish, accumulating 54.39 points. This indicates they'll collect merely 22 points from their remaining 17 matches of the season, averaging 1.29 points per fixture.

The analytical model supports Arsenal to cruise to their first Premier League championship in 22 years, with Manchester City and Aston Villa comfortably securing second and third positions respectively. Liverpool, now appearing lackluster and rather tedious to watch, are also predicted to secure next season's Champions League qualification without significant difficulty.

Nevertheless, there's expected to be competition for what will probably be the final position in UEFA's elite club tournament. Opta supports Chelsea to narrowly beat Newcastle United, but numerous teams could enter the contest, including Man Utd. Their projected point total is barely three points inferior to Chelsea's.

Despite this, United's probability of Champions League qualification is assessed as merely 3.69%. Brentford (9.65%) are apparently more probable, as are Brighton & Hove Albion (4.04%).

An eighth-place conclusion might be sufficient for participation in next season's Conference League, which United fans would welcome enthusiastically, but that would rely on the final league standings of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup champions. Last campaign, Brighton, who finished eighth, were excluded from Europe due to Crystal Palace's domestic cup triumph.

Nevertheless, at minimum it represents a significant enhancement from 2024–25.