Manchester United’s turbulent campaign has taken another grim turn, with the club now set to play its fewest matches in a season since 1914–15 after crashing out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle.
Brighton’s victory at Old Trafford on Sunday completed a bleak domestic cup double, condemning United to a 40-game season — the shortest in more than a century. It is the first time since 1981–82 that the club has exited both domestic cups at the earliest possible stage.
Just 11 weeks ago, a third successive home defeat of Brighton appeared to signal progress under then-manager Ruben Amorim. Now, Amorim is gone, confidence is described internally as “fragile”, and uncertainty hangs heavily over Old Trafford.
United have managed one win in seven matches, and only three victories in 13 games since Brighton’s previous visit. While seventh place in the Premier League is not yet disastrous, looming fixtures against Manchester City and Arsenal threaten to push the club into the bottom half of the table.
The early cup exits have also left a rare gap in United’s calendar. With no FA Cup fourth- or fifth-round commitments, the club faces a 10-day blank period in February and March, making a mooted mid-season commercial trip abroad increasingly likely as financial pressures mount.
Interim boss Darren Fletcher struck a defiant tone after the defeat, insisting the season should not be written off despite the setbacks.
“Don’t waste the season,” Fletcher said. “There’s still a Champions League place to fight for. It’s not where Manchester United should be, but it’s the reality.”
Yet the noise around the club is growing louder. Former players and pundits — from Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand to Wayne Rooney — continue to weigh in, while supporters plan protests against the ownership when Fulham visit Old Trafford on 1 February.
United’s historical context only sharpens the discomfort. It took 41 years for the club to reclaim the league title after the 1914–15 season. By the end of this campaign, it will be 13 years since their last Premier League triumph, with little sense of a clear upward trajectory.
Fletcher, who has received “zero indications” about his future, is expected to learn on Monday whether he remains with the first team or returns to youth development duties. Meanwhile, attention turns to next Saturday’s derby against Manchester City — with United still without a permanent manager and searching for direction.
For a club built on dominance and silverware, the immediate challenge is more basic: stabilise, restore belief, and prevent a historically short season from becoming symbolically emptier still.
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