Erik ten Hag
Erik ten Hag was sacked after two-and-a-half years at Manchester United
Former Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy has revealed Erik ten Hag wanted to be in charge of the club "for the next 10 years" before he was sacked.
Ten Hag was axed in October after a poor start to the season, with Ruben Amorim brought in to replace him. The Dutchman had been handed a contract extension just three months earlier and his coaching staff was revamped, with McCarthy, Steve McClaren and Mitchell van der Gaag departing.
McCarthy spent two seasons under Ten Hag at Old Trafford before deciding to leave so he could return to management. The former Blackburn and West Ham striker has since been appointed head coach of Kenya and has opened up about his time at United.
"I was given an incredible opportunity to work with one of the biggest and best clubs in the world under the guidance of Erik ten Hag," McCarthy told BBC Sport Africa. "I learned utmost professionalism because the manager I worked under was not just a disciplinarian, but he was the best and one of the most unbelievable professionals I've ever seen in the game.
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"Extremely hard-working, very dedicated, very passionate, he planned on being the Manchester United coach for the next 10 years. That was his vision."
McCarthy also said he feels "proud" of his work at United, having helped them win the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, although he admits he has no idea why the club has struggled so much since Sir Alex Ferguson retired back in 2013.
"Everyone is talking about how bad, how terrible Manchester United is," McCarthy added. "We still managed to win the FA Cup, we still managed to win the Carabao Cup. I was proud that I was part of that regime.
Benni McCarthy
Benni McCarthy has reflected on his tenure as part of Ten Hag's coaching staff
"Honest to god, I don't know what the issue is. It is just such a huge football club and the problems just seem to go on and on - and I don't know how they're going to resolve it."
Ten Hag, meanwhile, recently opened up about his future plans and revealed he may never return to management. "There are so many other things I could do,' he said on the SEG Stories podcast. "Maybe in football, in a new position as a manager.
"That's an option. And maybe something completely different. I've been working with my brothers lately. We have our own company. Or rather: they have their own company. But we also run a company together with our father. That's also something I love to do I can now give that more attention and it's also a lot of fun."
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