More than half of bets placed on the Premier League relegation market have been on Manchester United since their 4-4 draw with Aston Villa on Sunday.
Manchester United were cut from 50/1 for the drop after their 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Bournemouth, and things haven't got much better since, currently priced at 12/1 to suffer Premier League relegation.
While Michael Carrick might draw positives from the 3-2 win against Roma and even the 4-4 draw against Villa, it's hard to overlook the side's defensive frailties, with the Red Devils making a habit of starting games wretchedly and constantly giving themselves a mountain to climb. They conceded in the first minute against Atletico Madrid and the second minute against Como, and found themselves 2-0 down inside 20 minutes against Roma.
United were 2-0 down inside four minutes against Aston Villa, and conceded two more goals shortly after half-time. In all competitions, Carrick's side have conceded 15 goals in their last five games, in addition to conceding three against Brighton and two against Hull City and Ipswich Town.
While the dramatic draw might have brought temporary reprieve to Carrick, it's hard to ignore the league table, which has United 18th heading into the second international break of the season, below all three newly promoted sides.
It would appear part of the reason United have not yet parted ways with Carrick is due to the lack of suitable alternatives. The apparent leading contenders for the job all have big question marks hanging over them, with
It's allowed Carrick to remain in charge for the defeats to Bournemouth and Chelsea and what ought to have been a third straight Premier League defeat against Aston Villa. It may also be what keeps Carrick in charge for the trip to Anfield after the international break, and the longer the situation persists, the more likely the club are to suffer the ultimate humiliation of relegation.
It's now eight without a win in the league for the Red Devils, and bet365 customers aren't expecting a quick turnaround in fortunes, with more than 50% of bets placed on United to go down since full time on Sunday.
Basement side Crystal Palace are 11/8 for the drop and are the second best backed side ahead of Manchester City and Coventry.
Best backed sides for Premier League relegation
Team | % of bets | Odds |
Manchester United | 50.5% | |
Crystal Palace | 14.4% | |
Manchester City | 9% | |
Coventry City | 7% |
Applies to bets taken from full time of Manchester United v Aston Villa to midday on Monday 9th November. Odds displayed correct at time of publishing and subject to change or withdrawal at any time.
