Former Manchester United assistant criticizes Erik ten Hag for 'wasting' Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Manchester United assistant Benni McCarthy has given a damning view of Erik ten Hag's failings at Old Trafford.

Champions League winner McCarthy joined Ten Hag's coaching staff in 2022 before leaving the club this summer.

In a revealing interview, the former Porto and Blackburn striker accused the Dutchman of lacking passion and the players of not training enough.

It's another blow for Ten Hag, who is under enormous pressure in united man after the 3-0 defeat against Tottenham on Sunday.

talkSPORT understands They have only given him two games to save his position and there is asks to be fired.

Perhaps McCarthy's most revealing vision was that of Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from the Club at the end of 2022.

There was a fight with Ten Hag, which led to a Explosive interview with Piers Morgan.

When asked if the split was inevitable, McCarthy said Zero Zero: “Yes, it was inevitable. In the end he left the club and chose Al Nassr. He is showing everyone that he can still score goals. If we work as a team and then let Cristiano do what he has to do in his position, because he is the best in the world at it, that is ideal.

“I think Manchester United missed a great opportunity to use Cristiano in the right way. But I wasn't the head coach and I couldn't be the one making those decisions.

“It wasn't easy because Cristiano is a huge character. He has his own personality, his own maturity and he wants a coach who understands that too. At a certain point, it's true, things started to not work out between them.

“Erik had his philosophy, his ideas and he didn't see Cristiano being part of them. And that's when the problems started. Cristiano was not happy when he didn't play because he gave everything in training. Train like I've never seen anyone train before. He is an elite player in every way, including his behavior.

“I would arrive very early to training, maybe two hours before everyone else started arriving. He was the most impressive athlete I have ever met in my life. Not all athletes have what it takes to be like this. Unfortunately, the coach's philosophy was different than what he had imagined.

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“(Ten Hag) wanted a striker who could press forward. And Cristiano believed that this work should be done by the entire team. With him, in some areas, the best thing was to give him the ball and let him do his thing.

“Cristiano saw Ten Hag opt for (Anthony) Martial and (Marcus) Rashford in the '9' position and he was not happy because he felt superior to all of them. The coach saw things differently.”

McCarthy spent two years watching Ten Hag work and that will bring no consolation to Man United fans.

“In modern football, I think players want to see a little more passion in their manager,” McCarthy continued.

“They need to feel that the coach is with them and willing to fight alongside them. Tactically I feel like Erik is on top. It lacks a little of that fire, of that passion. That's where we differ, he and I.

“I want to be at their level in terms of tactical mastery. I think my greatest strength is the empathy I create with the players and that allows them to play at a level that combines passion, determination and desire. This is how games are won, especially the most demanding ones.

“That's the difference: that fire that I feel inside me, that hunger that I have. Erik is more conservative. He gives all the information to the players and then expects them to deliver on the field.

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“Sometimes I didn't see that passion in him that he talked about. He has a different personality, a different profile. “I think that was one of the difficulties that the team and the players encountered.”

Not only was Ten Hag in McCarthy's line of fire, he also targeted several Man United players.

“If some of the Manchester United players had what Bruno and Diogo have, it would have been easier to achieve good results,” McCarthy said.

“They both trained with incredible concentration, giving everything they had. Some of the others did not do the same.

“This ended up limiting United's progress, because some players weren't training as well as they could.

“Even in games, the data showed us that some players were at their peak performance and others a little below. “It didn’t help the team be successful.”