Ratcliffe warned United face years more struggle as Carrick's future hangs in the balance

Manchester United enter the international break in 18th place — their worst top-flight start in club history — after a chaotic 4-4 draw with Aston Villa on Sunday in which Patrick Dorgu’s 96th-minute header salvaged a point but did little to ease the crisis engulfing Old Trafford.

For supporters hoping Ratcliffe’s ownership would accelerate a turnaround, the outlook has grown bleaker. An unnamed former Premier League executive, speaking to ESPN, warned that the British billionaire’s reluctance to seek outside counsel could prolong the club’s difficulties. “I don’t think Jim listens to many people,” the source said. “In my experience, it takes about five years for owners to learn their lessons and take some responsibility. That’s when humility starts to land. Up until year three or four, they are still putting the blame on what they inherited.”

Ratcliffe is approaching three years since acquiring a minority stake in the club, a period that has yielded no silverware and a succession of managerial upheavals. The assessment from the unnamed executive suggests United supporters may need to steel themselves for further turbulence before any meaningful progress materialises.

On the immediate football front, head coach Michael Carrick is fighting to keep his job. Director of football Jason Wilcox is understood to have scheduled talks at Carrington this week, with Carrick’s position set to be the central item on the agenda. The 45-year-old has survived into the international break, but the historically poor league standing has intensified pressure on the club’s hierarchy to act.

One option being discussed, according to TEAMtalk, involves recruiting Bayern Munich assistant coach Aaron Danks to strengthen Carrick’s backroom staff rather than replacing the head coach outright. The 43-year-old Englishman is currently part of Vincent Kompany’s setup in Germany and previously worked under Carrick at Middlesbrough, giving the pair an established working relationship.

Whether Carrick is retained, reinforced, or replaced, United’s hierarchy faces a defining week — one that will signal how seriously Ratcliffe’s regime intends to arrest a slide that has already made history for all the wrong reasons.