Man United stars hung out to dry as Bruno Fernandes one of two praised by Benni McCarthy

Benni McCarthy has criticised Manchester United players following his unexpected departure earlier this year.

The 46-year-old joined Erik ten Hag's coaching team in 2022, but chose to leave at the end of last season to rekindle his managerial career. Since his exit, the Red Devils have been mired in a slump amid a dismal start to the new campaign.

Ten Hag's future at the club is now hanging by a thread after United suffered a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday - marking their third Premier League loss this season. The result also left them 13th in the league and marked their second consecutive home defeat, following a 3-0 loss to rivals Liverpool a month ago.

READ MORE: Bruno Fernandes called out for two reasons as Man United star leaves Paul Scholes fed up

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When questioned about the issues at United, McCarthy implied that internal standards were lacking and claimed that only two players were fully committed in training. "If some of the Manchester United players had what Bruno [Fernandes] and Diogo [Dalot] have, it would have been easier to achieve good results," he told Portuguese media outlet ZEROZERO.

"They both trained with incredible focus, giving everything they had. Some of the others didn't do the same. This ended up hindering 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."

McCarthy's stinging remarks come less than a week after Christian Eriksen criticised his United team-mates for "not wanting it enough" following their 1-1 Europa League draw with Twente. Speaking after the Spurs match, Gary Neville said Eriksen's comments were concerning, and telling of the grim situation at Old Trafford.

"When I think back to Christian Eriksen's comments after the game on Wednesday night, from someone who's in the dressing room, from someone who's a very senior player who should be trusted, when he says that they didn't want it and they don't want it as much as another team in a game of football, that matters more than anything that anybody else can say," the 49-year-old said on Sky Sports.

"He's inside there [the dressing room], he's seeing with his own eyes," Neville continued. "We know what's happening in there can't be great because we see it transmits into what's happening on the pitch... there's no doubt that something's going wrong in that United dressing room."

Later, he added: "I'll go back to Eriksen's comments, he's your team-mate, lads... and he, a senior player in the dressing room, has said you don't fancy it. Christian Eriksen. Not a kid who's a bit emotional. A player who has played hundreds and hundreds of games at the highest level has decided he's going to walk into an interview and question the work ethic of his team-mates.

"So [to the United squad], you can be upset about what we in the media are saying and what social media's saying - your own team-mate's saying it. You've got nowhere to go, and that's a real problem."

Neville also said he reckoned Ten Hag will find it tough to motivate his players given the sword of Damocles hanging above his head. "Through the last 10 or 12 years we've seen a pattern at the end of managers' reigns where there's this complete and utter pressure drain on the players where they look like they don't care," he said.

McCarthy said Ten Hag's even-tempered personality probably isn't helping either. "In modern football, I believe that players want to see a bit more passion in their coach. They need to feel that the coach is with them and willing to fight alongside them," he said.

"Tactically, I feel that Erik is at the top. He lacks a bit of that fire, that passion. That's where we differ, him and I."

Despite these reservations, McCarthy recognised the calibre of certain players at United, and highlighted those who had impressed him during his stint at the club. "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," the South African said.

"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."

United face FC Porto in the Europa League on Thursday before heading off to Villa Park for a Premier League showdown against Unai Emery's Aston Villa on Sunday. With the pressure mounting, these games are seen as critical for Ten Hag, who reportedly has only a week or so to turn things around and save his job.

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