Manchester United will be at risk of matching an unwanted feat last suffered by Arsenal 73 years ago when they take on Aston Villa in Sunday's Premier League finale.

The Red Devils welcome the Lions to Old Trafford after sinking to a new 40-year low, having dropped into the bottom three of the Premier League table on Saturday.

Nottingham Forest's 3-1 win over Manchester City saw the Tricky Trees leapfrog Michael Carrick's side, who are now two points adrift of safety in 18th position.

Not since 1986 have Man United found themselves in the bottom three after nine rounds of a top-flight season, and Carrick's side must win to overtake 17th-placed Coventry City on Sunday.

Should the Red Devils fail to claim all three points against Aston Villa, they would not only enter the international break in the relegation zone, but also join the worst kind of exclusive club.

Man United at risk of matching unwanted 73-year Arsenal feat

Indeed, only three teams in English top-flight history have won just one of their opening 10 games of a season, after finishing in the top three of the standings the year before.

The last team to suffer that fate was Arsenal, who won just one of their first 10 matches in the 1953-54 First Division, after clinching the title in the 1952-53 campaign; the Gunners ultimately finished 12th that year.

Meanwhile, the Chelsea team of 1919-20 ranked third in the top flight, before opening the 1920-21 season with just one win from their opening 10 games en route to an 18th-placed finish.

The first - and only other club - to endure such a miserable starting run after a standout campaign the previous year was the 1894-95 Derby County side, but Man United are just 90 minutes away from entering that unwanted list.

Carrick has overseen just one win from Man Utd's first nine Premier League games in 2026-27 - alongside four draws and four losses - and the Red Devils are winless in seven top-flight clashes since thumping Ipswich Town 5-2 on August 30.

Man United could also match unwanted club record vs. Aston Villa

More unwanted history is on the line for the 20-time English champions on Sunday afternoon, when they could also open a season with just one win in 10 games for the first time in their Premier League history.

The Red Devils have not started a season so poorly since 1972-73, when they won one, drew four and lost five of their first 10, and only once before have they gone eight Premier League games without victory.

That occurrence happened a little over 12 months ago in April/May 2025 under Ruben Amorim, although that sequence coincidentally ended with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford.

However, Carrick's men are still waiting for their first clean sheet of the Premier League season, also marking the first time in 40 years that they have gone nine games without a shut-out in a top-flight term.