2001 - 2002 Manchester United home, away and third shirts

United endured a rare season without silverware, finishing third in the Premier League behind Arsenal and Liverpool. Ruud van Nistelrooy made an outstanding impact following his arrival from PSV Eindhoven, scoring 23 league goals and quickly becoming one of Europe’s most feared strikers. Despite his individual success, United struggled to maintain consistency in the title race and eventually fell behind their rivals. They reached the Champions League semi-finals but were eliminated by Bayer Leverkusen on away goals after a 3–3 aggregate draw. It was a disappointing campaign by United’s standards, even though Van Nistelrooy’s goals offered plenty of encouragement for the future.