Carrick contradicts Ten Hag's toxic culture claims and insists he has United board's full backing

Michael Carrick has directly contradicted Erik ten Hag’s damning assessment of Manchester United, insisting he feels fully supported by the club’s leadership and has no concerns about the culture at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag, now technical director at FC Twente, gave a scathing interview this week in which he accused United’s football hierarchy of breaking promises, failing to back him in the transfer market and presiding over a toxic dressing-room environment. He also singled out Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford and the former Real Madrid contingent of Ronaldo, Raphaël Varane and Casemiro as sources of damaging player power.

Carrick, who finds himself in a similarly precarious position after just two wins in his first ten games in charge, was asked directly whether he felt backed by those above him. “Yeah, yeah. Why wouldn’t I?” he said. “I’m in this position, I have a good relationship, a really good relationship with everyone, everybody at the football club. There’s really no issues and no problems with any of that side. We’ve got to win games of football and that’s what we’re striving to do.”

The United interim manager declined to seek reassurance from director of football Jason Wilcox, chief executive Omar Berrada or co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe over his future, saying the situation was already clear to him. “I don’t need any reassurance,” he said. “It’s pretty clear. I know the role, I know my responsibilities. I don’t need anyone else to kind of tell me that or tell me when it’s going well or when it needs to be better. I know that myself.”

Carrick’s comments come at a sensitive moment. Wilcox has faced criticism from inside the dressing room, and the club’s structure remains under scrutiny. Yet Carrick was careful not to dismiss Ten Hag outright, describing his former colleague’s remarks as his “opinion” while stressing that his own day-to-day experience at the club bore no resemblance to the picture Ten Hag painted.

“There are certain conversations we have that we’re really clear with — with Jason, with Omar, with the owners, and down to the players,” Carrick said. “It’s really important we’re all pulling in the same direction.”

The contrast between the two managers’ accounts of life at Old Trafford is stark. Ten Hag’s tenure ended in acrimony, with the Dutchman feeling let down by those who appointed him. Carrick, for now at least, is presenting a united front — even as results continue to demand improvement.