Man Utd’s 2025/26 distance covered and high intensity metrics vs 2026/27 season cannot be overlooked

Manchester United fans have received an eye-opening insight into two huge stats about the Red Devils from last season and the current campaign at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have stumbled out of the blocks in the opening months of the 2026-27 season after Manchester United’s struggles under manager Michael Carrick.

Michael Carrick has seen his Manchester United first-team squad accused of lacking intensity and serious energy in their playing style in Premier League matches.

The Red Devils looked sluggish in the first half of last Saturday’s Premier League clash, as Tottenham overwhelmed Man Utd at Old Trafford before half-time.

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Man Utd’s 2026-27 distance covered and high intensity stats fall massively compared with last season

Manchester United pushed back against Tottenham in the dying stages of the opening 45 minutes and looked much better in the second half. United manager Michael Carrick saw the Red Devils build momentum and benefited from the introduction of Carlos Baleba in the second half.

Opta Analyst took a deep dive into how much distance United covered and their intensity in the 2025-26 campaign and compared it with the 2026-27 season so far. Based on last season’s Premier League metrics, United covered 4295.4km and the Red Devils were the 11th best team in the league on that stat.

The likes of Manchester City (4504.5km), Leeds United (4485.6km) and Arsenal (4472.9km) all outperformed United for distance over last season. However, United were the 14th best team when it came to intensity in the 2025-26 campaign, as the Red Devils clocked in a 318.6 score on average.

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For the distance covered metric after the opening six Premier League matches this season, Man Utd are the 16th best side and the Red Devils have only covered 671.5km. Carrick’s side have seen their intensity metric fall massively in the current campaign due to their distance covered.

According to Opta Analyst, United have the second-worst measurement of high intensity with only a 46.5 average. Only Manchester City have a worse-performing intensity stat, as the Premier League leaders have clocked in a 45.3 score so far.

United will be back in Premier League action this Sunday, as the Red Devils travel to Elland Road to face rivals Leeds United. Carrick’s men are 13th in the Premier League table and have won only one of their opening six league matches this season.