Alan Shearer was among the notable pundits who had egg on their faces after Manchester United’s 2025-26 Premier League campaign at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils endured a mixed season after Ruben Amorim was sacked and Michael Carrick was appointed as interim Manchester United boss in his place.
Michael Carrick’s scintillating interim head coach reign had the Red Devils catapult to a third-place Premier League finish and secured Champions League football.
With the 2026-27 season around the corner, United In Focus has now revisited the 2025-26 predictions that went horribly wrong for the likes of Alan Shearer and Co.
1. Joe Cole — ninth place for Man Utd
According to Goal in 2025, former Chelsea star Joe Cole predicted that United would finish in ninth place in the Premier League table for the 2025-26 campaign.
Hilariously, Joe Cole backed the Blues to finish third in his TNT Sports predictions, only for Chelsea to finish seven places behind Man Utd in 10th place last season.
2. Alan Shearer — sixth place for Man Utd
Alan Shearer felt that former side Newcastle would finish ahead of Man Utd in the 2025-26 Premier League season after he put the Magpies fifth in his predictions.
According to The Daily Mirror, Alan Shearer thought United would finish in sixth place, but the reality saw his beloved Newcastle side end the season in 12th place.
3. Opta’s supercomputer — 12th place for Man Utd
The supercomputer of Opta (via Goal) is synonymous with trying to predict all kinds of different aspects in a Premier League season, mainly the final standings of the league table.
However, the ‘super’ part of the supercomputer clearly went haywire after the Red Devils were backed to finish in 12th place in the 2025-26 Premier League campaign.
Man Utd 1-0 supercomputer.
4. Tim Sherwood — fifth place for Man Utd
Tim Sherwood has been known to be critical of United and he left the Red Devils off his pick for a Premier League top-four finish in his 2025-26 season predictions.
According to the Premier League’s official website, the former Tottenham manager picked Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea to finish inside the top four.
That worked out well, didn’t it, Tim?
5. Michael Owen — sixth place for Man Utd
Michael Owen has never been able to win United fans truly over after playing under Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford — all the while tarnishing his Liverpool legacy.
Irrespective of the aforementioned point, Michael Owen thought that his former side would not be able to secure Champions League football for the 2026-27 campaign.
6. Shay Given — eighth place for Man Utd
Shay Given’s doubts over Ruben Amorim’s reign at Old Trafford made the former Manchester City and Newcastle player put United down for an eighth-place finish.
Just a shame that Shay Given could not predict the Michael Carrick effect would leave him five places off from where Man Utd actually finished in the table.
7. Leon Osman — ninth place for Man Utd
Where does one even start with this one from former Everton and England midfielder Leon Osman?
Leon Osman felt that Premier League sides Brighton, Tottenham and Newcastle would all finish ahead of Man Utd last season.
Remind me again, Leon: where did Spurs finish in the 2025-26 campaign?
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/wGMnv7O