Manchester United are in the Premier League relegation zone after winning just one of their 10 league games this season, with manager Michael Carrick on the verge of being sacked. The club's plight has resurfaced Ryan Giggs' infamous 2011 claim that United would 'never collapse like Liverpool'.
United head into the November international break having won only once in the top flight, with that victory coming in August. It is the club's lowest position at this stage of a top-flight season since 1986/87.
Carrick's Future in Doubt
Michael Carrick is close to being dismissed as a result, with club officials meeting in Monaco to decide his future. In the meantime, United have opened talks with United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino about taking over.
Pochettino would face a daunting prospect to start his reign, with a trip to Liverpool and a meeting with a side he has only beaten three times in 19 meetings. He has suffered defeat 11 times, including two League Cup final losses in 2024 with Chelsea and the 2019 Champions League final with Tottenham Hotspur.
Giggs' 2011 Comments Revisited
The infamous headline from January 2011, 'Giggs: We would never collapse like Liverpool', has re-emerged. Speaking ahead of an FA Cup third-round clash with Liverpool, Giggs said: "Our manager is not always looking just for this season. He buys players with a view to the future, which he's done more and more over the last few years…"
He added: "The manager is experienced enough to know that we'll be challenging for the league this season and long after that because of the nucleus of the squad we have, as well as adding fresh blood, which gives everyone a lift."
United's Decline Since Ferguson
United won the Premier League title in 2011 and again in 2013, but since Ferguson's retirement they have never truly challenged for the title. They have spent over £2bn on new senior signings since 2013, with Paul Pogba remaining the club-record signing at £93.5m in August 2016.
In contrast, Liverpool's club-record signing was Emile Heskey at £11m at the end of their 13th year of a title drought, with the Reds spending £173m on new signings between 1990 and 2003. Liverpool averaged a fourth-place finish and 67 points between 1990 and 2003, but never hit the panic button as frequently as United have.
United have collapsed monumentally, with Carrick only the latest in a long line of managers unable to reverse the decline. Pochettino will now be tasked with trying to succeed where many predecessors have fallen short, with Anfield set to be the venue of his first game.
