The worst kept secret of the international break was confirmed on Friday morning when Mauricio Pochettino was announced as the new Manchester United head coach.
It came less than 24 hours after Michael Carrick was finally put out of his misery having been the latest victim in another tasteless episode of how not to run a football club, expertly delivered by the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Every man and his dog is likely to throw their opinion in about whether or not this is a good appointment or not, you can even read one here from our very own Alex Keble.
I'll not be joining in. Instead, let's keep this simple and look at how the market rates Manchester United's chances for the remainder of this season, as Pochettino looks to salvage 2026/27 in some shape or form.
Will Manchester United win a trophy in Mauricio Pochettino's first season?
The bookies give Pochettino a 5/1 chance of ending his debut campaign with silverware in hand.
Given United are out of the Carabao Cup, third-bottom of the Premier League and face a battle to qualify for the knockout stage of the Champions League that must be one of the worst bets out there.
The draw for the third round of the FA Cup doesn't take place until December 7, at which point the outright market will be completely re-written.
United are 7/1 fifth favourites at the moment, another staggering price.
Manchester United Premier League odds
- Title winner - 400/1
- Top 4 finish - 9/1
- Top 5 finish - 5/1
- Top 6 finish - 7/2
- Top half finish - 4/6
- Bottom half finish - 6/5
- Relegation - 12/1
The bookies have much less confidence about a Pochettino-led renaissance when it comes to the league, with United just about favoured for the top half.
For a club of their standing to be just 12/1 to go down - some firms are as short as 10s - with 28 league games still to play is staggering.
It could come in even shorter should Liverpool dish out a hiding at Anfield in Pochettino's opening game, and people rush to back United for the drop - many of them with glee might I add.
Manchester United Champions League odds
- Winner - 50/1
- Top 8 finish in League Stage - 14/1
- To Finish 9-24 in League Stage - 1/5
One of the biggest challenges for United's new manager will be navigating a hectic fixture list due to their involvement in the Champions League.
His first 12 matches come in just 47 days, giving the Argentine precious little time on the training pitch.
The stirring second-half comeback to beat Roma 3-2 last time out in Europe has at least given United a great chance of making the top 24 and reaching the UCL play-off round, as is reflected by their 1/5 odds.
Beyond that it's hard to see them going much further, and in many ways they would be better off making a swift exit to allow Pochettino to start bedding in his ideas as quickly as possible.
That being said, if he gets the kind of immediate response from the current squad that Carrick's appointment triggered last season then 50/1 will suddenly look like an enormous price for a team that is far from as bad as their start to the season suggests.
It's easy to forget United had a record of W12 D3 L2 last term under their former midfielder, a points per game average of 2.29 that over a full season would see a team finish with 87 - enough to win the title in each of the last two seasons.
Manchester United 2026/27 betting odds in full (General prices)
- To win a major trophy - 5/1
- To win the FA Cup - 7/1
- To win the Champions League - 50/1
- To Finish 9-24 in UCL League Stage - 1/5
- Top 8 finish in UCL League Stage - 14/1
- To win the Premier League - 400/1
- Premier League Top 4 finish - 9/1
- Premier League Top 5 finish - 5/1
- Premier League Top 6 finish - 7/2
- Premier League top half finish - 4/6
- Premier League bottom half finish - 6/5
- Premier League relegation - 12/1
Odds correct at 17:00 GMT (13/11/26)
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