Manchester United’s disastrous start to the season has left Michael Carrick fighting for his job, with the club now facing the extraordinary prospect of a Premier League relegation battle.

The Red Devils have won just two of their opening 13 competitive matches, beating newly promoted Ipswich Town 5-2 and Champions League debutants Sabah 4-0.

Since that European victory in September, United have endured nine consecutive matches without a win, their longest such run since 1988.

Carrick’s side sit 17th in the Premier League with just seven points from nine matches, having scored ten goals and conceded 15.

That represents a remarkable collapse after United finished third last season, with Carrick earning a permanent contract following an impressive spell in charge.

Saturday’s 2-0 defeat against Chelsea provided another painful illustration of United’s problems.

Despite creating several opportunities during the opening half, United failed to capitalise on their superiority.

Bruno Fernandes wasted a promising counterattack, while Matheus Cunha had a goal disallowed for offside.

However, United completely unravelled after the interval.

Morgan Rogers opened the scoring after driving through United’s defence, before Lisandro Martinez received a second yellow card for fouling Wesley Fofana inside the penalty area.

Cole Palmer converted the resulting spot-kick, condemning United to another humiliating defeat.

The defeat exposed serious defensive weaknesses, with Carrick’s tactics and Martinez’s discipline coming under renewed scrutiny.

Former manager Erik ten Hag has even admitted that relegation is a possibility, warning that struggling clubs can become trapped in a damaging cycle of poor results.

Now, fresh statistical projections have delivered another alarming assessment of United’s prospects.

Opta supercomputer reveals Manchester United relegation probability

According to Opta Analyst’s latest supercomputer predictions, Manchester United have been given a 22.16% chance of relegation from the Premier League this season.

The model also gives United just a 1.48% probability of qualifying for the Champions League and a 1.29% chance of securing Europa League qualification through their league position.

Opta currently projects United to finish 13th with approximately 44 points, a staggering decline from last season’s third-place finish.

Although seven clubs have a greater calculated probability of relegation, the figures demonstrate the scale of United’s deterioration.

The Red Devils face Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday before hosting Unai Emery’s Aston Villa on Sunday.

With Carrick’s position under intense scrutiny, United desperately need results to prevent their season from deteriorating further.

Opta’s calculations remain projections rather than certainties, but the numbers provide another indication of the extraordinary crisis engulfing Old Trafford.