Manchester United’s Erik ten Hag hits back at Benni McCarthy over ‘fire and passion’ comments

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has hit back after Benni McCarthy seemed to criticise him and his management style.

In an interview with Portuguese outlet ZEROZERO, McCarthy intimated that Manchester United players needed to see more fire and passion from the Dutchman.

However, speaking to TNT Sports ahead of their Europa League clash against FC Porto, which they drew 3-3, Ten Hag hit back at McCarthy.

“I don’t know what he means. In the last six years I’ve won eight trophies. I don’t think you can do that without passion and fire,” said Ten Hag.

“I always motivate my team. When you win trophies, you can’t do this without passion and desire.

“Everyone is different. But I don’t know if it’s taken out of context, if it’s real what he said, because I know him as a different person.”

McCarthy also questioned the commitment of Manchester United’s players, saying some did not put in enough effort in training and in games.

“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 the former Cape Town City and AmaZulu head coach.

“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,” he said.

McCarthy spent two years as a coach in Ten Hag’s backroom staff at Old Trafford, and was popular with the squad. However, his time at the club came to an end when his contract was not renewed when it ended in June.

Since leaving United, McCarthy has been linked with a return to AmaZulu, who earlier this week gave Spaniard Pablo Franco the boot.

Mamelodi Sundowns have also been mentioned as a possible destination for Bafana Bafana’s record goalscorer.

McCarthy has even hinted that he could be open to the possibility of moving to Major League Soccer in the United States.

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