Erik ten Hag hits back at ex-Man Utd coach after claim he ‘lacks fire and passion’

Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag has hit back at former Red Devils coach Benni McCarthy for claiming he has a lack of “fire” and “passion”.

The Red Devils boss has come under huge pressure with a defeat in their upcoming match on Sunday against Aston Villa potentially spelling the end of his reign.

It was made clear by widespread reports that the games against Porto, which they drew 3-3 on Thursday night , and Aston Villa were seen as key to deciding Ten Hag’s future at Man Utd .

The draw against Porto, which saw Bruno Fernandes sent off for the second match in a row , has not helped Ten Hag’s cause with a late Harry Maguire goal rescuing a point in the Europa League.

Former Man Utd coach McCarthy insisted in an interview earlier this week that Ten Hag “lacks a bit of that fire, that passion” for the job.

McCarthy told Zero Zero : “He lacks a bit of that fire, that passion. That’s where we differ, him and I. I think that was one of the difficulties that the team and the players encountered.

“Before I joined the team, I always had to communicate my thoughts to the head coach, which is normal.

“For someone like me, with strong convictions, it’s not easy. Erik always had the final say.”

On Cristiano Ronaldo’s relationship with Ten Hag, McCarthy added: “If we work as a team and then let Cristiano do what he needs to do in his position, because he is the best in the world at it, that is ideal.

“I think Manchester United wasted a great opportunity to use Cristiano in the right way. But I was not the head coach and I could not be the one to make those decisions.”

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On the standout players in the Man Utd squad, McCarthy continued: “Lisandro Martinez. He has the passion, the fighting spirit, the personality. He can play for any team in the world because he has the right mentality.

“Besides Lisandro… Marcus Rashford. He’s getting back to his best and could hurt FC Porto with some moves.

“Finally, Alejandro Garnacho. I really like Garnacho, but he needs to play more regularly. I don’t know if there’s a problem between him and Erik, but he hasn’t been a regular starter.

“Oh, and just one more: Amad Diallo. An incredible, incredible player, still little known. He defends and attacks well, always makes the best decisions and knows how to score goals.”

Hitting back at claims about his character from McCarthy, Ten Hag said ahead of the match against Porto: “I don’t know what he means.

“In the last six years, I won eight trophies. I don’t think you do it without passion and fire. I always will motivate my team and when you win trophies… you can’t do this without passion and desire.”