Carrick dismisses Ten Hag's 'toxic' claim and insists Man Utd board has his full backing

Michael Carrick has distanced himself from Erik ten Hag’s claim that Manchester United’s boardroom culture is ‘toxic’, insisting he has the full backing of the club’s hierarchy as United prepare to face Como in the Champions League amid a winless run.

Ten Hag made the allegation after revealing that United had broken promises of loyalty to him before his sacking in October 2024 — just months after he had been handed a new contract. Asked whether that raised a red flag about his own position, Carrick was unequivocal in his response.

“Not for me,” Carrick said. “That’s Erik’s opinion. I don’t know the details or ins and outs of that. It’s wrong of me to comment or get involved because it was nothing to do with me at that stage.”

The 45-year-old former midfielder described the internal atmosphere at the club as composed and purposeful, pointing to clear lines of communication with sporting director Jason Wilcox, chief executive Omar Berrada, and the club’s ownership.

“Within our walls as a group and a team, we’re pretty composed but driven,” he said. “We’re pretty stable. We’ve got to think calmly, we’ve got to keep our emotions and direct them in the right way. It’s really important we pull in the same direction — there’s a real balance between that fire and desire to make things happen, but you’ve got to do it from a platform of stability and having a clear plan.”

When pressed on whether he had received reassurance from above, Carrick gave a pointed answer that suggested he has no appetite for that kind of conversation.

“I don’t need any reassurance,” he said. “It’s pretty clear. I know the role. I know the responsibilities. I don’t need anyone else to tell me that or when it’s going well or needs to be better. I know that myself, I know the realities. I’ve got no problem with that.”

Carrick ultimately framed everything around results, acknowledging that performances on the pitch will define the mood around Old Trafford more than any boardroom dynamic.

“We’ve got to win football games for everything to flow and fit into place,” he said. “That’s the great thing — we can do something about it. Yeah, why wouldn’t I feel backed? I’m in this position, I have a really good relationship with everyone at the football club. There’s really no issues and no problems with that side. We’ve got to win games of football and that’s what we’re striving to do.”

United’s winless stretch has piled pressure on Carrick’s tenure, and the Champions League fixture against Como represents an opportunity to arrest the slide on the biggest stage.