Immediate former Manchester United strikers' coach Benni McCarthy has partly blamed the Red Devils fans for the players' struggles.
The Bafana Bafana legend served the English side for two seasons but was let go at the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign. During his tenure, the Red Devils – who were under manager Erik ten Hag, won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
However, as the former Orlando Pirates forward reveals, it is not easy for the players to deliver as anticipated.
You can get away with it at any club but not Manchester United
“So there’s so much responsibility, and the scrutiny for being a player or the head coach at ManU is major. If you are a player at Crystal Palace or Fulham, you don’t experience it,” he told iDiski Times.
“Or even at Chelsea, even Chelsea and Arsenal and Man City. [Erling] Haaland is just breaking records for fun. That’s a different breed because of the manager that he has.
“But I mean if you are at Man United, jeez, just if you score one game, and you don’t score the next game, then people ask questions, and then your ability, your quality, come into question, under the spotlight, because you play at Man United. But at any other club, you get away with it.”
Pressure like Chiefs and Pirates?
The 47-year-old then explained why working at Manchester United is like playing for Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.
“So the pressure for players is huge when you play at Man United. And I think that’s why sometimes you feel that there is a struggle because the expectancy level is so much more when you are at Man United than when you are at anybody else,” McCarthy continued.
“Definitely, because Kaizer Chiefs, and Orlando Pirates, they are historical teams in our league, you know.
“So when you play at a Chiefs, like at United, there’s so much pressure, so much demand, even from the fans, more than where it is anywhere else,” he concluded.
McCarthy is currently a free agent but previously he has stated he is ready to coach if he gets a team that matches his ambitions.
