Manchester United have made unwanted history on the back of their FA Cup third round exit – breaking two records that go back decades.
Darren Fletcher’s side were knocked out of England’s top cup competition at the first time of asking on Sunday night, with former Red Devil Danny Welbeck scoring one and setting up another in Brighton’s 2-1 win.
It means United were this season knocked out of both domestic cups at the first hurdle, having lost on penalties to League Two Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup at the start of the campaign.
Having also not qualified for Europe this season, it means United now only have the Premier League left to play for – in which they are currently seventh.
Via Opta, this season is the first time United have been eliminated from both domestic cup competitions at the first available opportunity since the 1981-82 campaign.
That was 44 years ago, leaving the current United team now carrying an unwanted record for the foreseeable future.
Manchester United have made unwanted history in being knocked out of the FA Cup
Darren Fletcher’s side were second best to Brighton as they fell at the first hurdle on Sunday
But it gets worse: The club will also play their fewest number of games in a campaign since before World War 1.
They will play just 40 matches this season in all competitions – the fewest since the 1914-15 campaign – 111 years ago – when they played 39 matches. The stat excludes seasons impacted by war.
United, so used to competing on all fronts until the end of the season, must settle for just their 38 league matches and the two domestic cup games.
Had they made a greater effort of the two cup competitions, they could have played a maximum of 51 games this season.
Legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson watched on in horror on Sunday, sat next to United heroes Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, scarcely unable to believe how the team he once carried as a world powerhouse has fallen so far.
United are looking for their seventh permanent manager since Ferguson retired 13 years ago, with all of them sacked in the hunt for the success United once had.
Ruben Amorim was let go last week, and Fletcher has been tasked with leading the team for the foreseeable future. What they have produced in the 2-2 draw with Burnley and defeat by Brighton, though, is likely to rule him out of getting the interim gig on a permanent basis.
Sir Alex Ferguson could not hide his disappointment as he watched his former side from the Old Trafford Directors Box
The result is unlikely to help Fletcher’s chances of becoming interim manager in the long-term
It seems as though that will go to either Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Michael Carrick, with the view of appointing a permanent manager in the summer.
This week, Ferguson was described as a ‘bad smell’ by his former captain, Roy Keane, due to his presence around the club. Keane, who famously fell out with Ferguson in 2005, said on Sky Sports: ‘What happens in these job interviews? I’m intrigued.
‘Why do they keep giving certain people a job? What happens in the interview that they sit there and go, and 12, 14 months later, “he’s not the guy for us.”
‘Do you not suss that out when you speak to them? You look somebody in the eye and go…
‘You see who’s making the decisions at Manchester United… you still have [Alex] Ferguson and David Gill [former chief executive] hanging on like a bad smell.’
It came after Fletcher admitted he had asked Ferguson for his blessing before taking over at United.
The Red Devils’ next game is the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on Saturday. It remains to be seen if Fletcher will remain in charge.
