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Former Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy has spoken about club manager Erik ten Hag. That comes amidst concerns around the Dutch tactician's future at the club, with the Red Devils struggling under him.
While Ten Hag won the Carabao Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024, consistently poor performances in the league and in the continent haven't helped his cause. The Red Devils are 14th in the Premier League their worst-ever start to a Premier League season, with five goals scored in seven league games this season, the joint-second-worst in the league.
McCarthy, who worked in Ten Hag's coaching team for two years at Manchester United, explained why the club have struggled to find consistent success under the Dutchman. The former Red Devils coach told the Supersport (via The Sun):
"That's the million-dollar question, that's the question for everyone. If they knew, they could fix it. There's nothing wrong there, it's just missing [a piece] in the puzzle, I don't even think they know what it is, they've not found that missing puzzle piece.
"What is it? Is it the mentality shift? Is it the mindset? Is it working on more specifics? It could be anything. When you're there, you see the work that goes into training and how the players are. I was like, 'My God, we would ruin any team,' with the way we trained. When you are there, you see this is high-level stuff."
He went on to say that despite training impressively, Manchester United continued to stumble during games, causing frustration to Ten Hag:
"We were not fearful of anyone, the team is incredible with quality. Then come matchday, it's like we get a massive shock in the back. I can imagine how frustrating it is for Erik because he's probably one of the hardest-working managers I've come across.
"His attention to detail, that man goes to sleep at 3am, 4am in the morning. The analysts get it at all angles, even if he thinks of something at 2am. I'm sure his wife must be on the verge of divorcing him because that's his life. It's non-stop.
McCarthy added:
"He works tirelessly and when you put that much work in, you expect things to go well, but that's why I'm saying there's something [that's not right]."
Manchester United will hope that Erik ten Hag can find a solution to their struggling performances, as they look to pull themselves out of midtable obscurity.
Manchester United's upcoming fixtures after the ongoing international break
Manchester United will return to playing regularly after players return from the ongoing international break, which will end on October 15. They have a number of games in quick succession from next weekend, when they invite Brentford to Old Trafford for their Premier League clash on October 19.
On October 24, they will turn to the Europa League, where they face Fenerbahce at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul. They will continue in the Premier League against West Ham United at the London Stadium on October 27.
Manchester United will face Leicester City in the EFL Cup Round Four at Old Trafford on October 30, before inviting Chelsea for a Premier League clash on November 3.
