Benni McCarthy has questioned whether Erik ten Hag has the ‘fire’ to succeed at Manchester United.
McCarthy spent two seasons working on the Manchester United coaching staff under Ten Hag before leaving the club in June.
The South Korean has given his view on Ten Hag, as pressure mounts on the manager’s position following a disappointing start to the campaign. McCarthy praised Ten Hag’s tactical approach but questioned whether the Dutchman has the drive and personality to turn things around at Old Trafford.
“In modern football, I believe that players want to see a bit more passion in their coach,” McCarthy told Portuguese outlet ZEROZERO.
“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.”
Manchester United squad did not ‘give everything’ in training
McCarthy also claimed several members of the Manchester United squad did not train at their maximum and believes the Red Devils would be better with more characters like Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot.
“If some of the Manchester United players had what Bruno [Fernandes] and Diogo [Dalot] have, it would have been easier to achieve good results,” he added.
“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.”
