Benni McCarthy, who served as an assistant coach at Manchester United for experience, has condemned Erik ten Hag’s management and claimed he failed to correctly treat new arrival Cristiano Ronaldo. McCarthy, who played for Porto and Blackburn was named United’s interim assistant coach earlier this year before departing at the end of the summer. McCarthy, in a candid interview, opens up about Ten Hag the manager and why Ronaldo did not work out.
Ten Hag’s Tactics and Ronaldo Leaving
According to McCarthy, the disagreements between Ronaldo and Ten Hag came from two competing ideas on how to maximize playing potential of the main man. Ronaldo, widely considered to be one of the best players in history, felt he could not continue under the circumstances at United, McCarthy said.
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McCarthy told Zero Zero: “Well, obviously Cristiano was always going to go. The former Manchester United striker is doing everything he can at Al Nassr to show that has plenty of more goals in him yet. That, however – if the team had played to him and allowed him to see his face through to what he is good at – could have been different at United.
And McCarthy expanded on Ten Hag’s handling of Ronaldo, which he said was “completely different” and involved a system where forwards had to press. Ronaldo, however, thought that he should be scoring goals and everybody else should do pressing. However, their philosophies clashed and this eventually led to discord between the two of them, culminating in Ronaldo leaving Manchester United at the back end of last season.
McCarthy’s Praise for Ronaldo
McCarthy praised Ronaldo for his professionalism and work ethic during the interview. He was the most impressive athlete I had ever met. He was the first in, two hours before training putting extra work in. The more elite players you have, not only from a skill standpoint but an attitude standpoint, it transfers to the team,” McCarthy observed.
He also pointed out Ronaldo’s annoyance behind Ten Hag, with the coach tied to players such as Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford in the number 9 position. McCarthy suggested Ronaldo believed he was still better than them but didn’t get the chance to show it.
Is the Ten Hag era coming to an end?
Despite the Ronaldo situation, McCarthy was critical of Ten Hag’s hand on reins labelling the Dutchman soft and too old school to cope with football in the modern age. Barnett stressed that a coach must battle for his players.
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While McCarthy conceded Ten Hag’s tactical acumen, he thought the team cried out for a bit of emotional leadership. McCarthy: “Erik gives all the info, but sometimes you need more fire. “That’s where we differ. Compassion and fire, that’s how you win the toughest games.
Player Performance/Training issues
McCarthy did not hold back in his criticism of Ten Hag, and he also came for some Manchester United players, noting a lack of effort from certain ones. Solskjaer lauded Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot for their performances in training, but said the same could not be said for certain other players.
McCarthy stated: “Had more players approach training in the same manner and work rate as Bruno and Diogo, it would have made getting better results easier. However, he outlined that the side has held itself back due to poor showings in both training and on a match day.
Conclusion
Conflicted McCarthy reveals the issues Manchester United had with time under Erik ten Hag – specifically Cristiano Ronaldo McCarthy has piled further pressure on under-siege Ten Hag and his words are sure to ramp up tension inside the camp, also revealing why the forward has performed so poorly during this time.
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