Ex-Man Utd coach names the six players who will decide Erik ten Hag's fate as manager

Erik ten Hag faces two crucial matches against Porto and Aston Villa this week to save his job as Manchester United manager - and his former colleague names who he can rely on

Former Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy has singled out the six players who have set a good example for their team-mates during the dreadful start to the season.

United are 13th in the Premier League table, already eight points behind leaders Liverpool, following their 3-0 thrashing by Tottenham on Sunday. They have picked up just two wins from six league matches and scored a meagre five goals – the second-worst total ahead of just Southampton.

Erik ten Hag is under pressure for his job ahead of crucial away games against Porto in the Europa League and Aston Villa in the Premier League. United have been well below-par this season despite shelling out £180million on new players in the summer transfer window, meaning Ten Hag could make sweeping changes for the upcoming matches.

McCarthy has a good insight into the United squad, having worked as a first-team coach from July 2022 until the end of last season before an overhaul of the Dutchman's backroom staff. The South African believes there are some key players Ten Hag should rely on.

"If some of the Manchester United players had what Bruno [Fernandes] and Diogo [Dalot] have, it would have been easier to achieve good results," McCarthy told Portuguese outlet ZeroZero. "They both trained with incredible concentration, giving everything they had. Some of the others didn’t do the same.”

He added: “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.

Image: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

“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.”

While McCarthy is a fan of Martinez and Dalot, another of United’s defenders, Matthijs de Ligt, has been singled out for criticism following the Spurs defeat. Paul Scholes told Premier League productions: "When you bring players in, you expect them to be a lot better than who you’ve already got. I don’t see players coming in who are a big difference. De Ligt has come in for Maguire, let’s say, but there’s no big difference there.

"These are experienced players who United have paid a lot of money for. We need to stop hearing excuses and get on that training pitch and find a way of playing. Find something, give us something!"

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