Once Dimitar Berbatov could bring himself to look at the Premier League table showing Manchester United in a lowly 18th place, the retired striker glumly admitted that his former employers “deserve to be there.”

Such is the grim grip locked around Manchester United these days, fans couldn’t even enjoy Manchester City’s defeat to Nottingham Forest. Any satisfaction that may have been gleaned from a third straight league loss for their “noisy neighbors” was overshadowed by the sight of Forest climbing above them in the table.

After a dire run of one win from their first nine fixtures of the new Premier League season, United ended Saturday, Nov. 7 in the division’s bottom three. It’s the first time the record English champions have been ensconced in the relegation zone at this advanced stage of a top-flight season since 1986.

Man Utd’s Worst Starts to a Top-Flight Season After Nine Games

• 1930–31: 0 points
• 1972–73: 4
• 1892–93: 4
• 1986–87: 5
• 1960–61: 5
• 2026–27: 7

Berbatov knew a very different Manchester United reality. The regal Bulgarian striker never finished below second place during his four seasons at Old Trafford, winning two league titles while also reaching a pair of Champions League finals. When he was confronted with the club’s current damning state, the beIN Sports pundit covered his eyes.

“The way that United are playing sometimes, they deserve to be there, honestly,” Berbatov eventually admitted.

Michael Carrick’s Damning Admission Over Man Utd Future

After overseeing this historically disastrous start to a new campaign, Michael Carrick’s future remains understandably precarious. Berbatov will not have been the only person with an association to United to look upon the table in horror.

Despite the Champions League heroics against Roma in midweek, Carrick admitted that he had not yet had it confirmed that his services would be required after the November international break, which begins with the conclusion of United’s Premier League meeting with Aston Villa on Sunday.

When asked if there had been any newfound clarity over his future, Carrick bluntly admitted: “No.”

“Just carry on as absolute normal,” was his mantra. “Whatever is going to happen is going to happen.”

For Carrick, all focus was on the visit of an Aston Villa side led by the man many would like in the Old Trafford dugout, Unai Emery. That scenario would appear unlikely as Villa frantically try to tie their talismanic manager down to an even longer and more lucrative contract, but it still serves as a pointed head-to-head for Carrick.

“I’m really looking forward to the next game,” United’s current incumbent insisted, “playing at home on the back of the other night. The supporters are hopefully looking forward to coming energized and feeling good about what they might see, and we’ve got to repay that.”

Climbing out of the relegation zone would be the first step toward those reparations.