Ineos' 'bogeyman' Man Utd legend might have perfectly summed up Michael Carrick's tenure in two tweets – opinion

Michael Carrick’s run as the permanent Manchester United manager might have been captured in two different messages, as Ineos face real pressure this season.

The 45-year-old Manchester United manager enjoyed a honeymoon period as interim head coach after the Red Devils secured a third-place finish last season.

United’s Premier League standing and the return to the Champions League were enough for Michael Carrick to succeed Ruben Amorim on a permanent basis.

Only five months after he became the seventh permanent United head coach post-Sir Alex Ferguson, Carrick’s managerial reign unravelled at an alarming rate.

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David de Gea has left two haunting tweets for Ineos about Man Utd manager Michael Carrick

One win from eight Premier League matches in the 2026-27 campaign has brought Michael Carrick to his knees at Old Trafford. It is now only a matter of time whether Ineos will swing the sword down on his head and end his managerial reign at the Premier League club.

Carrick’s woes have all been clear in the current season and the Red Devils only sit one point above the Premier League relegation zone. United have only seven Premier League points from a possible 24 and the Red Devils have only chalked up two wins across all competitions this season.

David de Gea has made his feelings known away from Old Trafford about United’s current season. After Man Utd’s shock 2-0 defeat to Hull City in the club’s Premier League opener of the 2026-27 campaign, David de Gea took to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, and sent out a powerful message to United fans.

“It’s not how it starts, it’s how it ends,” he tweeted in August.

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The 35-year-old Spaniard has become a reminder of United’s haunting past, so much so around the standards falling at the Red Devils. The United legend returned on Monday and sent out an even more powerful message. De Gea shared a photo of himself alongside Carrick from their United playing days and only added a ‘DNA emoji’ in the caption of his social media post.

De Gea has become a true ‘bogeyman’ for Ineos, reminding United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe that actions will have consequences. The Fiorentina shot-stopper does not even need a microphone or to act like an armchair pundit such as Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes or Nicky Butt. Instead, he only needs to post the simplest message on social media and his words will resonate with United fans.

Former Man Utd No 1 De Gea remains a beloved figure for the Red Devils fan base, especially for the timing of his inputs. The ex-Spain international does not comment on every moment at Old Trafford. Instead, he pops up in the ‘right’ moments and delivers a right sucker punch before slipping back into the shadows.

De Gea’s two tweets, starting in August and ending in October, could be the perfect embodiment of Carrick’s permanent reign at the Premier League club. Just when he pointed out that it’s not how things start but rather how they end, the DNA emoji shows that Ineos could be ready to axe a true symbol of what Man Utd have always represented.