When was the last time Manchester United were relegated to second division of English football?

Manchester United, one of the biggest football clubs in Europe and England are nearing a relegation phase under coach Ruben Amorim in the English Premier League. After the 0-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, they are currently at number 15 in the points table and are only three spots away from being relegated from the first division.

Ruben Amorim remains resilient despite a recent tough run of form and a lengthy list of players unavailable through injury 💬 pic.twitter.com/X0d7XtohT3

— Premier League (@premierleague) February 16, 2025

This leads to the question have Manchester United ever been relegated to the second division of English football? If yes, when was the last time they were relegated to the second division?

Have Manchester United ever been relegated to the second division of English football?

Yes, the Red Devils have been relegated to the second division of English football five times. They have spent a total 22 seasons in the second division of English football. 

The first time they were relegated to the second division was in 1894-95 season. Post that, they were promoted back to the first division five times from 1935-36 to 1974-75 season. In the 1935-36 and 1974-75 season, they were promoted back after being champions of the first division. 

In 1905-06, 1924-25 and 1937-38 season, they were promoted after being runners-up of the second division. 

Read Also | Premier League Facts: The Last Time Every Team Won the League

When was the last time they were relegated to the second division?

In the "Premier League" era Manchester United have never been relegated to the second division. Earlier, the last time they were relegated to second division was at the conclusion of the 1973–74 season. 

After the end of "Matt Busby" era in 1969, Manchester United started losing their best players and grip on the dominance of English and European football. Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and George Best had left the club and in 1971 season, Frank O'Farrell was appointed as the manager of the club but managed to stay at the club for only 17 months. 

Tommy Docherty succeed him as the head coach at the end of 1972, but was able to save the club from relegation only in that season. In the next season, they were relegated to the second division after finishing 21st among the 22 teams in the league. 

United could only manage 32 points from 42 games that season after 10 wins, 12 draws and 20 defeats. 

1973-74 Points Table

But, Tommy Docherty was able to restore the glory of the club in his first attempt as they won the second division following season and were promoted back to the first division of English football. 

Post 1992, the first division was renamed to "Premier League", the second division to "Championship". In the Premier League era, Manchester United are the most successful team with 13 Premier League titles. 

But, post Sir Alex Ferguson era, the most successful manager in Manchester United's history, they club started losing their old glory. Many managers and players were brought in but since lifting the club in 2012-13 season, they have not been able to lift the league once.

Current situation of Manchester United and relegation

After the helm of Eric Ten Hag, the club brought in Ruben Amorim with a record fee from Sporting CP. However, even that did not help United bring their old glory as Amorim became the quickest manager to record five Premier League home defeats for Manchester United. 

Ruben Amorim's win rate in the Premier League compared to Man Utd's last five permanent managers 😒📉 pic.twitter.com/bsc8W5fkwR

— LiveScore (@livescore) February 16, 2025

In 21 matches as the head coach of Manchester United, Amorim won 10 matches while losing 9 of them. In the Premier League, Amorim has managed United in 14 games and lost in 8 of those games while winning only 4 times.

Currently, they are at number 15 position in the points table with 29 points in 25 games. They are just three spots above the relegation zone followed by West Ham United with 27 points and Wolves with 19 points. 

Ipswich Town and Leicester City with 17 points are at 18th and 19th point while Southampton are last with 9 points only. United will face Everton next on 22nd February and followed by match against Ipswich and Arsenal on 27th February and 9th March. 

Results under Ruben Amorim this season in the Premier League 📊 pic.twitter.com/I9aeXPh9Rs

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 16, 2025

Manchester United's next matches

1. 🗓️ Saturday 22 February 2025

• 🆚 Everton
• ⏰ 18:00
• 📍 Goodison Park, Liverpool

• 🆚 Ipswich
• ⏰ 01:00
• 📍 Old Trafford, Manchester

• 🆚 Arsenal
• ⏰ 22:00
• 📍 Old Trafford, Manchester

• 🆚 Leicester
• ⏰ 00:30
• 📍 King Power Stadium, Leicester

• 🆚 Nott'm Forest
• ⏰ 00:15
• 📍 The City Ground, Nottingham

• 🆚 Man City
• ⏰ 19:30
• 📍 Old Trafford, Manchester

• 🆚 Newcastle
• ⏰ 19:30
• 📍 St. James' Park, Newcastle

• 🆚 Wolves
• ⏰ 19:30
• 📍 Old Trafford, Manchester

• 🆚 Bournemouth
• ⏰ 19:30
• 📍 Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth

• 🆚 Brentford
• ⏰ 19:30
• 📍 Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford

• 🆚 West Ham
• ⏰ 19:30
• 📍 Old Trafford, Manchester

• 🆚 Chelsea
• ⏰ 19:30
• 📍 Stamford Bridge, London

• 🆚 Aston Villa
• ⏰ 20:30
• 📍 Old Trafford, Manchester