Burnley threaten to push Man Utd into century-low start

Manchester United have collected just a single point from their opening two league fixtures, making this their third-poorest start to a campaign in the 21st century.

And midweek brought no relief. Ruben Amorim's men, handed their earliest EFL Cup entry in a decade after last season's disastrous, trophyless campaign, stumbled once again.

Hopes of using the match against a modest Grimsby Town side to build confidence collapsed into another historic setback, leaving the Mancunian team still winless in 2025/26.

Only twice before have they gone winless across the first four competitive matches of a season – in 2007/08 and again in 2014/15.

Back in 2007/08, Sir Alex Ferguson's side drew the Community Shield against Chelsea before prevailing on penalties, but then stumbled to three consecutive Premier League games without a victory: 0-0 against Reading, 1-1 at Portsmouth and a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City.

That slow beginning was swiftly forgotten, however, as United went on to lift the Champions League in Moscow nine months later.

The start to the 2014/15 campaign proved far more painful. Louis van Gaal's first competitive match brought a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford to Swansea, followed by a 1-1 draw at Sunderland and a humiliating 4-0 loss away to Milton Keynes Dons in the EFL Cup. A 0-0 stalemate at Burnley completed four games without victory.

Now, eleven years on, Burnley once again stand between United and an unwelcome piece of history. Anything less than three points on Saturday would see Ruben Amorim's side match that 2014/15 run and confirm their joint-worst start of the century.

Old Trafford expects a response – and the Red Devils can ill afford another false start.