According to the UK’s The Sun, Manchester United has set an embarrassing record after the PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association) announced the team of the season, marking the first time in the Premier League era that they have failed to have a player included in the PFA Team of the Year for two consecutive seasons.
Despite a dip in performance since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, Manchester United players have still regularly made it into the Team of the Year. While there have been seasons where United players have been omitted, there has never been a two-season run without a single player being selected.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who rejoined United in 2021, was the last Red Devil to be selected in the 2021/22 PFA Premier League Team of the Year. In the 2020/21 season, Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw were also honored.
Paul Pogba was included in the 2019 Team of the Year, despite United finishing only sixth in the Premier League that year. Goalkeeper David de Gea, a mainstay for United, was included in the best XI for four consecutive years from 2015 to 2018.
However, in the 2022/23 season, Manchester United failed to have any players included in the PFA Team of the Year. This situation continued into the 2023/24 season, with United again drawing a blank.
The 2023/24 PFA Team of the Year features five Arsenal players (David Raya, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhães, Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard), and four Manchester City stars (Kyle Walker, Rodri, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland).
In addition, Liverpool’s center-back Virgil van Dijk and Aston Villa’s forward Ollie Watkins have also been included in the team.
The last time Manchester United failed to have a player selected for two consecutive seasons was in the 1986/87 and 1987/88 seasons. Between 1979 and 1980, this happened three times in a row, with the league dominated by Liverpool and Arsenal.
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