Former Premier League manager Alan Pardew has made a surprising statement, saying that Manchester United might be one of the teams to go down next season.

He believes the club’s problems at the back have not been fixed, which puts them at risk.

Pardew, who once coached Newcastle United, said Manchester United caused more trouble by banning some of their top players from training. He believes this could affect team spirit badly.

During an interview with talkSPORT, Pardew was asked which EPL team might go down in the 2025/2026 season. He shocked many by including Manchester United in that list.

He said many teams in the bottom half of the table are struggling, and United is no different.

According to him, their major issue is defence, and not much has been done to improve it before the new season.

He added that getting rid of the five banned players looks like a rushed move, and the situation feels like a “fire sale.”

Those players include Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Tyrell Malacia, and Antony — all removed from first-team training.

Pardew thinks that this decision could create more problems in the dressing room and lower morale among the rest of the squad.