What is Manchester United worst Premier League finish and lowest points total?

Erik ten Hag, Manager of Manchester United, looks dejected after the team's defeat in the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on October 29, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester United are enduring a difficult 2023/24 campaign, with unconvincing wins being met with apathetic defeats under Erik ten Hag. 

Inconsistent performances have naturally littered the season, which is a far cry from the dominance enjoyed under Sir Alex Ferguson for two decades. While Manchester United never managed to finish below third place under the Scotsman, they've been unable to finish at the top of the table since he's left. 

But what is Manchester United's worst Premier League finish and lowest points total over the past 30 years? FourFourTwo delves a little deeper below.  

Manchester United's worst Premier League finish

Manchester United Manager David Moyes substitutes Wayne Rooney for Javier Hernandez during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford on March 29, 2014 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Moyes' season in charge saw the worst finish (Image credit: Getty Images)

Losing Sir Alex Ferguson proved the end of Manchester United's dominance in the Premier League - and didn't they know it. 

In 2013/14, the first season without Fergie, United ended up 7th after being led for the majority of the campaign by David Moyes. Ryan Giggs took interim charge for the final four games of the season following dismal performances and results over the course of the campaign under Moyes, but could do little to affect the worst finish for Manchester United in the Premier League.

The misery didn't just stop there over the intervening years, unfortunately for Manchester United fans. 

They've not managed to finish inside the top four of four more occasions, with supporters having since experienced three 6th-place finishes and a 5th. Whether that trend will continue this term remains to be seen - though it seems more likely than not. 

Manchester United's lowest Premier League points total

Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on December 5, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

2021/22 is the season of United's lowest points tally (Image credit: Getty Images)

While Manchester United's worst Premier League finish is 7th, they actually accumulated their worst points total in 2021/22 when they amassed just 58 points - but still managed to finish 6th. 

That came under the stewardship of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, with United's 16 wins their lowest in the Premier League era. On just two previous occasions had the Red Devils managed to win fewer than half of their games in a campaign, but 2021/22 became the third campaign. 

Manchester United lost 12 games that season, though, and finished with a goal difference of 0 after conceding a staggering 57 goals throughout the course of the campaign. 

While 2021/22 is the only time Manchester United have scored fewer than 60 points over the course of a term in the Premier League, their second-worst points tally came in 2013/14 when they managed a measly 64 points. Then, the club has scored 66 points on three separate occasions: 2015/16, 2018/19 and 2019/20. 

Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.