Former Manchester United first-team coach Benni McCarthy says that United boss Erik ten Hag “lacks a bit of that fire, that passion”.
McCarthy, 46, joined Ten Hag’s team two years ago but left the club in the summer as he wanted to return to management.
When asked what has stopped United from being more competitive, McCarthy, speaking to Portuguese outlet ZEROZERO said: “In modern football, I believe that players want to see a bit more passion in their coach. They need to feel that the coach is with them and willing to fight alongside them.
“Tactically, I feel that Erik is at the top. He lacks a bit of that fire, that passion. That’s where we differ, him and I.”
Ten Hag’s position at United has come under heavy scrutiny following their 3-0 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday which leaves them 12th in the Premier League, four points above the relegation zone. The loss to Spurs was United’s second consecutive home defeat after Liverpool beat them by the same scoreline a month ago.
The United manager, however, said after the match that his team “need some time” to come together.
“No, I am not thinking about this,” Ten Hag said when asked if he feared the United hierarchy may look to make a managerial change in the wake of the Spurs result.
“We all made in togetherness this decision to stay together, as ownership group, leadership group in the summer, also we made the decision, after a clear review, what we have to improve as an organisation and how to construct a squad. We are all there on one page, one boat, the ownership, the leadership group, the staff, players too.”
Ten Hag is under pressure following the Tottenham game (James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
McCarthy was speaking ahead of United’s Europa League trip to Porto, where he spent three and a half years as a player. The South African, who is waiting for an opportunity to return to coaching, also questioned the training standards at United during his time there.
“If some of the Manchester United players had what Bruno (Fernandes) and Diogo (Dalot) have, it would have been easier to achieve good results,” said McCarthy.
“They both trained with incredible concentration, giving everything they had. Some of the others didn’t do the same. This ended up limiting United’s progress, because some players weren’t training to the best of their ability. Even in games, the data showed us that some players were at their peak performance and others a little below.”
Ten Hag’s side drew their opening Europa League game 1-1 with FC Twente last week and will need a positive performance and result in Porto on Thursday to get them back on track.
(Top photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
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