Senior Manchester United executives are set to gather with owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco this week, with the club's alarming start to the 2026/27 Premier League season expected to dominate discussions — including, reportedly, the previously unthinkable prospect of relegation.

Chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox are both scheduled to attend the meeting in Monaco, where Ratcliffe maintains his primary residence. Head coach Michael Carrick's future at the club sits at the top of the agenda, but with Manchester United sitting inside the bottom three after just 10 Premier League matches — claiming a single win — the conversation around survival planning cannot be avoided.

A cautionary tale from north London

Tottenham Hotspur's experience last season offers a sobering lesson in why clubs of historic stature must not dismiss the possibility of the drop. Speaking on The Sports Agents podcast, Spurs chief executive Vinai Venkatesham revealed that the club quietly prepared a contingency plan for life in the Championship as they narrowly avoided relegation on the final day.