Man Utd could suffer unwanted Premier League first and equal 43-year-old record with disastrous Wolves defeat

Manchester United will be at risk of suffering an unwanted Premier League first and equalling a 43-year record in Tuesday's Premier League battle with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Red Devils welcome the basement boys to Old Trafford a few weeks on from a resounding 4-1 victory at Molineux, but the star of the show that evening is now unavailable to Ruben Amorim.

Captain Bruno Fernandes - who scored twice and assisted Mason Mount in that game - will watch on helplessly on account of his hamstring injury, as confirmed by Amorim in his pre-game press conference.

The 20-time English champions are also lamenting the absences of Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire, Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui, while Mount also needs a late fitness test before the game.

Man Utd will still be heavy favourites to get the job done against Rob Edwards's two-point team, but their visitors remained competitive in their narrow 2-1 loss to champions Liverpool last time out.

Man Utd at risk of suffering unwanted Premier League first in Wolves game

Should Wolves stun Old Trafford by picking up their first win of the season at the venue, it will mark the first time in Premier League history that Man Utd have lost their final game of a calendar year three years running.

Amorim oversaw a miserable 2-0 reverse to Newcastle United in the Red Devils' final match of 2024, prior to which Erik ten Hag presided over a 2-1 loss to Nottingham Forest in their last game of 2023.

It has been over four decades since the hosts lost their final top-flight game of a calendar year three seasons in a row, suffering that unwanted fate in 1980, 1981 and 1982, a few years before Sir Alex Ferguson's arrival.

The Red Devils also possess painful memories of Wolves' last visit to Old Trafford, which ended in a 1-0 victory for the Old Gold in April courtesy of a Pablo Sarabia strike.

The West Midlands side could therefore also win back-to-back top-flight games away to Man United for the first time in the Premier League era; not since 1961 have Wolves beaten the Red Devils in successive league games at the Theatre of Dreams.

Ruben Amorim pursuing Man Utd first in Wolves Premier League clash

While a negative result could see Man Utd write another unwanted chapter of history, Amorim will also be pursuing a more pleasing first in the midweek encounter.

The Portuguese masterminded a narrow 1-0 victory over a wasteful Newcastle United on Boxing Day, when Patrick Dorgu's sensational first goal for the Red Devils made the difference in the first half.

As a result, Man Utd could now keep two straight Premier League clean sheets for the first time under Amorim, having not managed that feat since September 2024 during the Ten Hag days.

The Dutchman's side shut out Southampton and Crystal Palace in consecutive matches 15 months ago, but Amorim's men have managed just two clean sheets all season, also keeping Sunderland at bay in October.