Former Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy has made a shocking revelation about the club’s players, following their loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
A lethargic and uninspiring United suffered a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham at San Mames, capping off what has been the worst season in their modern history.
The Red Devils will not only go trophyless and as a result, not have European football next term, but they could also finish as low as 17th.
After the final whistle, a visibly dejected Bruno Fernandes told the media that he and his teammates need to look at themselves and take responsibility for how bad the campaign has been.
Fernandes’ remarks were echoed by Luke Shaw, who insisted that every member of the squad must question whether they’re good enough to play for United.
McCarthy, who currently manages the Kenya national team, departed United last year after a two-year stint that undoubtedly gave him valuable insight into the players and their mindset.
The former Erik ten Hag assistant spoke on SuperSport [as quoted by journalist Duncan Castles] and outlined the issues at Old Trafford.
McCarthy said, “What I’ve experienced, I think a lot of players lacked that tough mentality. You’re depending on coaches around you to motivate you, to put you to want to go out there to win matches.”
“It wasn’t within them. You have to have loads of dialogue and meetings with players about how confident they have to be.”
“I found that it was just a lack of strong mentality that was there. Once you sign for Man United now you’ve made it. So there wasn’t that ‘now the real hard work starts’ and you’ve got to maintain that week in week out.”
He added, “And I just felt that ‘when you get to Man United then you can relax’. That was the biggest problem that I found.”
Former Manchester United assistant Benni McCarthy: ‘What I’ve experienced I think a lot of players lacked that tough mentality. You’re depending on coaches around you to motivate you, to put you to want to go out there to win matches.
‘It wasn’t within them. You have to have… https://t.co/QHWwAy6ayV— Duncan Castles (@DuncanCastles) May 21, 2025
While McCarthy’s remarks may shock United fans, they’re hardly surprising. The team’s vulnerability has been exposed repeatedly over the years, and Wednesday’s final was just the latest example.
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
