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9 months ago
45 According to Jamie Carragher, Erik ten Hag lacks the charisma necessary to inspire his struggling Manchester United club and it’s difficult to see the players stepping up for him.
United are currently seventh in the Premier League and Champions League qualification for next season could prove to be a mountain to climb. After elimination from the Champions League and the Carabao Cup, only a win in the FA Cup can save the season for United and ten Hag.
Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher has compared Ten Hag’s demeanor to Rafael Benitez.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Carragher said:
‘My worry with Ten Hag is that when I was looking at him last season, he reminded me a bit of Benitez.
‘He didn’t have great charisma, in press conferences he’s very straight and looked like he didn’t want to be there – Benitez was similar, but he was top drawer on the training pitch.
‘I thought that was Ten Hag last season when United were doing well, that he really knows the game but hasn’t got a huge personality.
‘So if he isn’t getting stuff on the pitch tactically well, then there isn’t much else because I don’t see the players loving him or lifting their game.’
Carragher has also questioned whether the United assistant coach Steve McClaren has influenced the team’s style of play.
He added: ‘The reason I say that is because when you talk about the style of play, it’s probably the style of play that we all played.
‘Sometimes you might play in Europe, counter-attacking, or you play a small team at home, and you know you are going to have lots of the ball. United feel like it’s football from our day, 20 years ago.
‘The first couple of games they played Brighton and Brentford [last season] and it was [David] De Gea trying to get on the ball, he was struggling on the ball, it was Christian Eriksen coming really deep to receive it.
‘He [Ten Hag] wanted Frenkie de Jong who’s a real footballing midfielder, and he went away from that and had great success last season.
‘Great spell, won a cup, got to another cup final, did well in Europe, so I don’t know if there was something that, with Steve McClaren being at Manchester United, being there under Sir Alex Ferguson as well, almost saying this is the way Manchester United play.’
