Erik ten Hag says Manchester United relegation is ‘certainly possible’

Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says the club cannot rule out relegation from the Premier League if their current difficulties continue.

The 13-time Premier League champions have not been relegated from England’s top flight since 1974, but they are now close to the relegation zone under Michael Carrick after a troubled campaign.

Ten Hag, who was dismissed after two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford, said the strength of the Premier League meant United could become embroiled in a battle to avoid relegation.

“In the Premier League it’s certainly possible, because all the teams are simply strong,” the Dutchman told ESPN.

“They’re all strong squads, all good managers. And if you end up on the wrong side once and you really get into that vicious circle, yes, then it can become very, very difficult.”

Despite United’s current position, Ten Hag defended his record during his time in charge and insisted his tenure should be regarded as a success.

The 56-year-old won the FA Cup and League Cup, led United to a third-place finish in the Premier League and reached two FA Cup finals.

“I think we performed pretty well with United. I think we had performed more than pretty well. We couldn’t have done it better,” he said.

“Before we arrived, six years without winning a trophy. Look where they are now. We were at Wembley six times, we played two FA Cup finals.

“We won two trophies, we finished third. And yes, we simply performed pretty well. And at times we also played pretty good football.”

Ten Hag acknowledged that United endured difficult periods during his spell, but said the demands of the Premier League made such setbacks particularly damaging.

“We also had a difficult spell, but the Premier League is so strong and when you hit a difficult spell, yes, then you really have a problem,” he added.