Following yet another draw after relinquishing the lead on Sunday against Leeds United, pressure continues to mount on Michael Carrick as Manchester United travel away to Como on Wednesday evening with a rather depleted squad in desperate search of their first victory for over a month.

In the wake of the news of Lisandro Martinez's comments and the subsequent fallout post Atletico Madrid, a familiar face in Erik ten Hag has since come out with some bombshells of his own in a recent interview conducted by Laurie Whitwell in The Athletic, where the ex Manchester United manager revealed all in, crucially including his thoughts on Michael Carrick's current position as head coach.

When questioned about Michael Carrick's current position as Manchester United head coach by Laurie Whitwell in his most recent interview in The Athletic, the Dutchman was quick to come to the defence of the former United midfielder. 

“It is not the solution to dismiss him. 100 per cent not.”

Ten Hag, understandably so, chose to offer some sympathy to Carrick's situation after falling victim to it himself in the not-so-distant past following his dismissal in late October of 2024.

The Dutchman was also particularly critical of the current INEOS sporting structure that had not long come in prior to his sacking, with him citing a 'lack of trust' and 'broken promises' as a major player in his eventual dismissal.

"They promised me loyalty, they promised me backing, they promised communication, that we get aligned... But the promises, they didn't keep."

Ten Hag also asked for United to keep Scott McTominay, but the Scotland international was sold for PSR reasons and has since become a forced in Serie A. 

With no wins out of six and a challenging couple of fixtures ahead, with Como away in the Champions League on Wednesday night, shortly followed by Bournemouth at home on Sunday, time appears to be running out for Michael Carrick.

Rumours of his potential replacement already beginning to circulate, with Julian Nagelsmann, Antonio Conte, and Fabian Hürzeler amongst some of the names mentioned.

United will be travelling to Italy with an even weaker squad than the one they travelled to Elland Road with on Sunday, with Marcus Rashford and Leny Yoro now unavailable for the clash.

With all the odds appearing to be stacked against him coming into what may be the most crucial week of his managerial career, Carrick cannot afford to get it wrong against Como or Bournemouth if he is to hold on to his job for any longer.