Benni McCarthy in surprise attack on Erik ten Hag and Man Utd players after exit

Former Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy has accused Erik ten Hag of lacking the “passion” needed to bring success to the club.

McCarthy spent two years working under the Dutchman at Old Trafford before leaving his role this summer, and has now weighed in on the club’s poor start to the season.

Speaking to Portuguese outlet ZEROZERO, he 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.”

His comments come ahead of what appears a crucial week in Ten Hag’s reign. Following Sunday’s humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham, United go to Porto in the Europa League on Thursday.

In his own career, McCarthy played 124 games for the Primeira Liga side, scoring 58 times. And ahead of the clash, which takes on extra significance following United’s a tame 1-1 home draw with FC Twente, the ex-striker also appeared to dig out the players he worked alongside.

“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.”

Upon departing England, McCarthy, 46, attributed his move to a desire to return to management. He’s previously taken charge of Cape Town City and AmaZulu in his home country.

But the fact a colleague he worked closely with until this summer has opted to criticise the current set-up will come as a further blow to Ten Hag. Pressure is already mounting on the 54-year-old following the underwhelming start to the 2024/25 campaign.

Despite the speculation over his position, Ten Hag has remained defiant, saying after the Spurs debacle: “I am not thinking about this (being sacked). We all made the decision to stay together as ownership and a leadership group in the summer.

“I think we will get better there. We need some time. We are all on one page or in one boat together, the ownership, the leadership group, the staff and the players’ group as well. I don’t have that concern.”