Former Assistant Stabs Ten Hag: He Lacks Passion and Wasted Ronaldo; Hard to Work with Him

According to The Sun, former Manchester United assistant coach Benni McCarthy has sharply criticized Ten Hag, pointing out that the Dutch manager “lacks passion,” “wasted Ronaldo’s talent,” and frankly stated that working under him “was not easy.”

Manchester United suffered a humiliating 0-3 home defeat against Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday, and Ten Hag is now facing immense pressure. This loss has dropped Manchester United to 13th place in the Premier League, and they have failed to win in their last three matches across all competitions.

McCarthy served as an assistant coach under Ten Hag for two years but left the club this summer. Regarding Ten Hag’s personality, his evaluation was quite direct: “He lacks some passion and enthusiasm, which is where our differences lie. I think this is also one of the challenges faced by the team and the players.”

In addition, McCarthy mentioned that before joining Manchester United, he always had to convey his ideas to the head coach, which was a normal process. “But for me, this wasn’t an easy thing because I have strong beliefs. Erik always had the final say.”

Regarding the tense relationship between Ronaldo and Ten Hag, McCarthy believes Ten Hag could have handled it better. “If we could work together as a team and let Ronaldo play in his best position, that would be the ideal situation. I believe Manchester United missed a great opportunity to utilize Ronaldo’s enormous potential. Of course, I am not the head coach, so I couldn’t make those decisions.”

McCarthy also specifically mentioned several Manchester United players who he believed stood out, including Bruno Fernandes, Dalot, Lisandro Martinez, Rashford, Garnacho, and Diao. “Lisandro Martinez showed tremendous passion, fighting spirit, and personality, and he has the qualities to play for any top team. As for Rashford, he is regaining his best form, and his technical skills can give opponents a headache.”

Regarding Garnacho, McCarthy expressed high praise: “I admire Garnacho very much, but he needs more playing opportunities. I don’t know if there is a conflict between him and Erik, but he certainly hasn’t become a regular starter.”

Finally, McCarthy mentioned Diao: “He is an excellent player, though currently not well-known. He performs excellently in both defense and attack, always makes the right choices, and is adept at scoring.”