logo
logo
Manchester United Manager Erik ten Hag

How Man Utd’s record after 5 games compares to every season since Ferguson retired

Ben Stewart •

Manchester United have had a troublesome start to the 2023-24 campaign as they currently find themselves in the bottom of the Premier League table after five matches.

The start of the season becomes even more damming when you include their 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. United have now lost as many as four of their opening six games in all competitions for the first time since 1986-87.

We’ve taken a closer look at their Premier League record so far and have compared it to every season post-Sir Alex Ferguson. As the stats suggest, a slow start doesn’t always mean a bad season.

2023-24

Games: 5
Won: 2
Drawn: 0
Lost: 3

Position: 13th
Points: 6

Goals for: 6
Goals against: 10
Clean sheets: 1

Erik ten Hag’s men have struggled to find much consistency so far as they have already lost games to Arsenal, Tottenham and Brighton. It’s still early days of course, but several red flags have already started to emerge.

2022-23

Games: 5
Won: 3
Drawn: 0
Lost: 2

Position: 5th
Points: 9

Goals for: 5
Goals against: 7
Clean sheets: 2

Final position: 3rd

Ten Hag had a disastrous couple of opening matches as United boss as he oversaw defeats to Brighton and Brentford. The turning point under the Dutch boss game on gameweek three as United beat Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Despite some bumps along the way, Ten Hag enjoyed a successful first season at the club where he was able to deliver silverware along with a top four finish.

2021-22

Games: 5
Won: 4
Drawn: 1
Lost: 0

Position: 3rd
Points: 13

Goals for: 13
Goals against: 4
Clean sheets: 1

Final position: 6th

A strong start to the season doesn’t always mean a successful campaign. United looked ruthless at the start of the 2021-22 season as they dispatched the likes of Leeds, Wolves, Newcastle and West Ham.

The homecoming of Cristiano Ronaldo also added some spice to the script, but things eventually unravelled for the Red Devils. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer eventually got the sack and the club slumped to a disappointing 6th placed finish.

2020-21

Games: 5
Won: 2
Drawn: 1
Lost: 2

Position: 15th
Points: 7

Goals for: 9
Goals against: 12
Clean sheets: 1

Final position: 2nd

The start of the 2020-21 campaign with forever be synonymous with Tottenham beating United 6-1 at Old Trafford. That result seemed to spark Solskjaer’s side into life as they went on to win 11 of their next 16 league matches.

2019-20

Games: 5
Won: 2
Drawn: 2
Lost: 1

Position: 4th
Points: 8

Goals for: 8
Goals against: 4
Clean sheets: 2

Final position: 3rd

The Reds produced a statement win against Chelsea on the opening day of the 2019-20 season as they boasted a 4-0 triumph. There other opening games didn’t quite have the same spice to them though as they dropped points against Wolves, Crystal Palace and Southampton.

They got themselves back on track with a narrow victory against Leicester and then a strong end to the campaign meant that they secured a spot in the top four.

2018-19

Games: 5
Won: 3
Drawn: 0
Lost: 2

Position: 8th
Points: 9

Goals for: 8
Goals against: 8
Clean sheets: 1

Final position: 6th

Things usually start to unravel for Jose Mourinho in his third season and that was certainly the case in 2018-19. The warning signs were on the cards from early on as United lost against Brighton and Tottenham in the opening month.

Mourinho only lasted until December and the Reds ultimately finished the campaign in 6th spot.

2017-18

Games: 5
Won: 4
Drawn: 1
Lost: 0

Position: 2nd
Points: 13

Goals for: 16
Goals against: 2
Clean sheets: 4

Final position: 2nd

United were on fire at the start of 2017-18. Convincing wins against West Ham, Swansea, Leicester and Everton meant that they were one of the early pace-setters this year.

There was a speed and dynamism about United’s play, which served them well throughout the campaign. They ultimately fell short of the league table but still finished in a respectable 2nd place.

2016-17

Games: 5
Won: 3
Drawn:0
Lost: 2

Position: 7th
Points: 9

Goals for: 8
Goals against: 6
Clean sheets: 2

Final position: 6th

Mourinho won his first three matches in charge at Old Trafford, but losses against Man City and Watford brought the Potugease boss down to earth with a bump.

The Reds only lost five league matches throughout the whole of the 2016-17 campaign, but their draw-heavy nature ultimately hampered them from getting a spot in the top four.

2015-16

Games: 5
Won: 3
Drawn: 1
Lost: 1

Position: 2nd
Points: 10

Goals for: 6
Goals against: 3
Clean sheets: 3

Final position: 5th

Wins against Tottenham, Aston Villa and Liverpool meant that Louis van Gaal had a reasonable start to his second season in charge. United couldn’t quite keep up the pace they had set for themselves though as they narrowly missed out on Champions League football in the end.

2014-15

Games: 5
Won: 1
Drawn: 2
Lost: 2

Position: 12th
Points: 5

Goals for: 9
Goals against: 8
Clean sheets: 1

Final position: 4th

Other than a routine win against newly promoted QPR, the Reds struggled to get things going at the start of 2014-15. Leicester put Van Gaal’s side to the sword early on as the Foxes beat United 5-3 in a thrilling game in September.

Despite their slow start, they eventually managed to recapture some form and ultimately finished above the likes of Tottenham and Liverpool to secure a spot in the top four.

2013-14

Games: 5
Won: 2
Drawn: 1
Lost: 2

Position: 8th
Points: 7

Goals for: 7
Goals against: 5
Clean sheets: 2

Final position: 7th

The post-Fergie era at Old Trafford didn’t exactly start with a bang. David Moyes did win his first game in charge as United boss, but they soon hit a patch of inconsistency.

Early losses against Liverpool and Man City didn’t help Moyes out in his early days and it wasn’t long before the Scottish boss was under pressure and eventually sacked.

READ NEXT: The 5 players targeted by Solskjaer at Man Utd & who they signed instead

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every player to score in the Champions League for Man Utd?

Manchester United Quick Reads