Erik ten Hag has warned his former club Manchester United that they could get relegated this season as their dismal season shows no sign of improving currently.
The Red Devils languish outside the Premier League relegation zone only on goal difference, as they sit 17th with seven points from nine matches – two more than bottom side Sunderland.
United have staggeringly only won one match in the top-flight, a 5-2 win over Premier League new boys Ipswich Town, a Premier League low that is equalled with Sunderland and 19th-placed Nottingham Forest.
Their plight worsened on Saturday afternoon after a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea – which saw them endure a second-half collapse and see Lisandro Martinez sent off.
As a result, pressure is mounting on under-fire head coach Michael Carrick and one of his predecessors Ten Hag – who won the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup during his two-and-a-bit seasons at United – believes the Old Trafford outfit could be mired in a relegation battle in the months to come.
‘In the Premier League it’s certainly possible, because all the teams are simply strong,’ he said on ESPN NL, when asked about United’s possibility of relegation.
Erik ten Hag has warned Manchester United that they could get relegated this season
Their 2-0 loss at Chelsea on Saturday means they’re 17th – two points above 20th Sunderland
‘They’re all strong squads, all good managers. If you end up on the wrong side once and you really get into that vicious circle, then it can become very difficult.’
United have some tough fixtures coming up with a home encounter with Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon before a trip to bitter rivals Liverpool after the international break on November 22. After those two games, in-form Brentford travel to Old Trafford on November 28.
Ten Hag’s comments come after his latest swipe at his former player Cristiano Ronaldo, claiming the Portugal icon’s career was already over by the time he joined Juventus and eventually returned to Old Trafford.
‘Every top team must embrace the top player, but the top player must also make way for the team. That was simply the problem with Ronaldo,’ Ten Hag also told ESPN.
‘Let there be no misunderstanding on my part, he is of course a great player. He belongs among the greats of the world.
‘But the reality is also that he hasn’t been able to deliver for the last seven or eight years. From Juventus onwards, it was simply over.’
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