The man Michael Carrick replaced in the dugout at Old Trafford has become the latest voice to say out loud what league table watchers have spent the past week circling: Manchester United could really go down.
Erik ten Hag told ESPN the drop is “certainly possible” for his former club, who sit 17th in the Premier League with seven points from nine matches and are above the final relegation place only on goal difference.
“In the Premier League it’s certainly possible, because all the teams are simply strong,” the Dutchman said.
“They’re all strong squads, all good managers. And if you end up on the wrong side once and you really get into that vicious circle, yes, then it can become very, very difficult.”
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A winless run not seen since 1984
The warning landed days after Carrick’s side were beaten 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Morgan Rogers chipped Senne Lammens before Lisandro Martinez was sent off for conceding a penalty that Cole Palmer tucked away, a result that pushed United into the bottom three on goal difference.
Across all competitions, United have now gone nine matches without a win, the club’s longest such run since 1984.
The club has not been relegated since 1974.
Ten Hag defends Carrick
Even as he laid out how deep the trouble is, ten Hag has refused to call for Carrick to be sacked.
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Speaking to The Athletic in mid October, the Dutchman urged the club to hold its nerve.
“It is not the solution to dismiss him. 100% not,” he told The Athletic.
He argued that fans would demand a change if results did not improve, but that the board had to resist the emotion.
“You have to make rational decisions,” he said, citing Carrick’s work at Middlesbrough and last season as evidence he deserves to see out his process.
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The board stays with Carrick, for now
Carrick, 45, has kept his job through the Chelsea defeat. Director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada met last Monday and decided to back him, with his position set to be reviewed again during the next international break.
That gives him two fixtures before that review to shift the mood: a Champions League tie at home to Roma on Tuesday and a Premier League meeting with Aston Villa the following Sunday.
Ten Hag, who was dismissed by United in 2024 after winning the FA Cup and the EFL Cup during his two seasons in charge, also used the ESPN interview to defend his own tenure.
“Before we arrived, six years without winning a trophy. Look where they are now,” he said.
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United host Roma at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
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