December 2024 was Manchester United's worst calendar month in almost 100 years. The Red Devils lost six games across all competitions, including Monday's 2-0 humbling at the hands of Newcastle, matching a horror September endured way back in 1930.
Consequently, United have entered the New Year sat 14th in the Premier League table, just seven points outside the relegation places. It's a bleak position that the club could scarcely have imagined finding themselves in barely a decade after the departure of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
But as intelligence operative Jurgen Warmbrunn says to Brad Pitt amid a terrifying zombie apocalypse in the movie World War Z: "Most people don't believe something can happen until it already has." United dropping into the second tier for the first time since 1974 also seems farfetched right now, but there is a very real danger that supporters will have to confront that reality come May.
Ruben Amorim has a monumental task on his hands to turn the situation around, not least because he has no one reliable to call on up front. The United head coach can change that, though, if he fast-tracks his plan to bring in Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish striker worked wonders under Amorim at Sporting CP, and United must arrange a reunion this month to ensure that they won't be playing Championship football in 2025-26.
