Michael Carrick Says He Needs No Reassurance After Ten Hag Board Criticism

• Michael Carrick said “I don’t need any reassurance” when asked whether he feels backed by the Manchester United board.
• Carrick answered Erik ten Hag’s claims of broken promises by calling them “Erik’s opinion” and said he has not experienced a toxic culture at the club.
• United travel to Como for Wednesday’s Champions League game with nine first-team players unavailable, after the club’s worst start to a Premier League season in 40 years.

Carrick Draws a Line Between His Club and Ten Hag’s Version of It

Michael Carrick was asked on Tuesday whether he feels backed by Manchester United’s board. “Not for me. I don’t need any reassurance,” the head coach said.

The question followed an interview Erik ten Hag gave to The Athletic. The former United manager claimed that after discussions in the summer of 2024 the club’s leadership promised him loyalty, backing and better communication, and that those promises were not kept. He also described the takeover process under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS as a source of “noise, uncertainty” and disruption, and said the lack of communication made his position difficult. United sacked Ten Hag in October 2024. He had won the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.

In the same interview Ten Hag said Cristiano Ronaldo “let the team down, and he let me down”, and that he was against the sale of Scott McTominay to Napoli in August 2024. Carrick, speaking ahead of the Como game, declined to pass judgement on any of it.

“That’s Erik’s opinion,” Carrick said. He added: “I don’t really know the details and ins and outs of that.” He told reporters it would be wrong for him to comment on a period he had no part in.

Wilcox, Berrada and the Owners

Carrick spoke instead about his own working relationships. He named Jason Wilcox, Omar Berrada and the owners as the people the club has to stay aligned with, and said the conversations with them are clear.

“I know the role, I know the responsibilities,” he said. “I have a good relationship, a really good relationship with everybody at the football club. There’s really no issues and no problems with any of that side.”

He described the message at the club as one of shared direction. “I think it’s really important that we’re all pulling in the same direction,” Carrick said, adding that the club needs a balance between “fire and desire” and “a platform of stability, and having a clear plan.”

Asked directly whether he had come across the toxic culture Ten Hag described after returning to the club, Carrick said: “No, I haven’t.” He pointed to the performance at Leeds on the weekend, where United drew 1-1 to extend a winless run, as evidence of a united group. “I couldn’t be happier with the togetherness,” he said.

Santos Asks the Squad to Move On From Martinez

Midfielder Andrey Santos joined Carrick at the press conference and was asked about Lisandro Martinez’s recent comments. Santos tried to close the subject.

“We know the comments about Licha. Now it’s done we have to move on,” he said. “Nothing happened. We are on the same page.” Santos also spoke about his own limited minutes this season, saying the coach has told him to be ready for his opportunity. “It’s so easy to choose Man Utd. I’m so happy,” he said.

Nine Players Short for the Trip to Como

The backing question arrives at an awkward time for Carrick. United have made their worst start to a Premier League season in 40 years, and the head coach is under increasing pressure. They opened their Champions League campaign with a 4-0 win over Sabah, then lost 2-0 to Atletico Madrid last week when Leny Yoro was sent off.

Yoro is suspended for Como. Carrick described the wider injury list as a “mixed bag” and confirmed nine first-team players are out through injury, illness and suspension. Martinez and Marcus Rashford missed training on Tuesday. Martinez could return for Sunday’s game against Bournemouth, while Rashford is managing a hip issue. Kobbie Mainoo is around 10 days from a return and Luke Shaw is expected to be out for longer. Ayden Heaven is ill, and Manuel Ugarte (knee), Patrick Dorgu (hamstring) and Benjamin Sesko (shin) are longer-term absentees.

There was some good news. Matthijs de Ligt is fit and available after almost 11 months out, and young defender Harry Amass is in contention to start at left-back. “Young players need an opportunity; it’s about finding that,” Carrick said.

For Carrick, the answer to every question comes back to the same place. “Results dictate a lot of the feeling at a football club,” he said. “They’ve got to win games of football, and that’s what we’re striving to do.”

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

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