Ten Hag warns Manchester United to beware of relegation from the Premier League; if caught in a bad cycle, recovery could be very difficult.
On 2 Nov 2026 GMT+7, Erik ten Hag, former Manchester United manager, warned his former club that they face a risk of relegation from the English Premier League this season, following a sharp decline in performance under Michael Carrick's management.
Most recently, Manchester United suffered a 0-2 away defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League, marking their third consecutive loss in all competitions and their ninth game without a win. This has intensified pressure on Carrick, though reports suggest the club may allow him to remain in charge until the November international break.
However, Ten Hag, now technical director at FC Twente, expressed concern about his former club's situation when asked if relegation for Manchester United was a real possibility.
The Dutch ex-manager told ESPN, "In the Premier League, it is definitely possible because every team is strong. If you find yourself in the wrong situation and get trapped in such a bad cycle, yes, it becomes very difficult."
Additionally, Ten Hag spoke about his time managing Manchester United, asserting that the team performed well and achieved considerable success despite facing challenging periods.
"I think we performed quite well with United. I believe we did more than just well. We couldn’t have done better than that."
"Before we arrived, the club hadn’t won a trophy in six years. Look where they are now: we reached six finals at Wembley, played in two FA Cup finals, won two trophies, and finished third in the league."
"Yes, we performed very well, and at times we played good football too."