Man Utd reach new miserable milestone in worst Premier League season | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim is nothing if not dramatic.

"We are the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United," the outspoken Portuguese head coach told stunned reporters back in January. While even this dire iteration of the Red Devils won't quite slip into the relegation vortex which engulfed the 1973/74 vintage - they have a historically bad trio of promoted clubs to thank for that - Amorim's team have been confirmed as the worst side in Manchester United's Premier League history.

A humbling 4-1 loss to Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon ensured that United can only only earn a maximum of 56 points this season. The club's previous Premier League low was 58 during the 2021/22 campaign which saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked and Ralf Rangnick recommend "open-heart surgery".

During Sir Alex Ferguson's legendary tenure, United never finished with fewer than 75 Premier League points - and that year they won the 1996/97 top-flight title.

The departure of the club's talismanic manager - which also coincided with the exit of influential executive David Gill, prompting a grossly unpopular Ed Woodward to take control of the club's transfer dealings - marked the end of United's era of dominance. Yet, few could have predicted how dramatic the slide would be - especially in recent years.

Bruno Fernandes didn't bother hiding his disdain / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages

During Ferguson's 810 Premier League games in charge, United suffered defeat 114 times. The Newcastle reverse was the club's 115th top-flight loss in 450 matches since the Scot's retirement in 2013.

"It's easy to criticise because this club has never suffered like this," Bruno Fernandes sighed after failing to single-handedly inspire his side to another victory.

Many people have wasted no time in piling in on United. Gary Neville, a stalwart of Ferguson's regime, lamented a squad "so poor in quality". Former Red Devils skipper Roy Keane labelled United's players "bluffers".

The club may be destined for their worst Premier League season of all time but the campaign could still enjoy one high point. United host Lyon on Thursday in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final with the tie delicately poised at 2-2. Victory would set up a semi-final against either Rangers or Athletic Club before a final in Bilbao.

Amorim was in no mood to savage his own team after this latest setback and instead settled on repeating the phrase "let's focus on Thursday" throughout all of his post-match media duties. If that tie also ends in defeat, there will be nothing to distract from the pile of damning statistics.