WORKAHOLIC Erik ten Hag is leaving no page unturned to fix the problems at Manchester United.
And that includes regularly going to sleep at 4am in an attempt to find the tiny details he is missing.
Ten Hag remains under constant pressure as Red Devils boss.
The shock FA Cup final win over Manchester City ensured he kept his job beyond last season.
But five matches without a victory following earlier defeats to Brighton and Liverpool mean the Dutchman is fighting to sort things out.
And that means long, gruelling days at Carrington and at home.
Ten Hag’s No2 Benni McCarthy, 46, revealed just how much work Ten Hag is putting in – joking that it is to the detriment of his marriage with wife Bianca.
Asked what is going wrong at Old Trafford, McCarthy told SuperSport: “That’s the million-dollar question, that’s the question for everyone. If they knew, they could fix it.
“There’s nothing wrong there, it’s just missing [a piece] in the puzzle, I don’t even think they know what it is, they’ve not found that missing puzzle piece.
“What is it? Is it the mentality shift? Is it the mindset? Is it working on more specifics? It could be anything.
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“When you’re there, you see the work that goes into training and how the players are. I was like, ‘My God, we would ruin any team,’ with the way we trained.
“When you are there, you see this is high-level stuff.
“We were not fearful of anyone, the team is incredible with quality. Then come matchday, it’s like we get a massive shock in the back.
“I can imagine how frustrating it is for Erik because he’s probably one of the hardest-working managers I’ve come across.
“His attention to detail, that man goes to sleep at 3am, 4am in the morning.
“The analysts get it at all angles, even if he thinks of something at 2am.
“I’m sure his wife must be on the verge of divorcing him because that’s his life. It’s non-stop.
“He works tirelessly and when you put that much work in, you expect things to go well, but that’s why I’m saying there’s something [that’s not right].”
McCarthy worked under Ten Hag during his first two seasons at Old Trafford – with the objective of contending for titles again.
He revealed the coaches arrived at Carrington around 7.15am ahead of a meeting 15 minutes later with the manager and his staff to discuss the training session.
The players get to the training ground at 8am and soon head for training – likely a warm-up in the gym before going outside on the grass.
McCarthy then said the likes of “special” Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Rasmus Hojlund, Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro then stay out for extra training and competitions.
ERIK TEN HAG appears to be safe as Man Utd manager, but the Dutchman edged dangerously close to the sack.
Here are nine managers Red Devils chiefs are reported to have considered for the job and what allegedly happened with each.
Gareth Southgate
Enjoys plenty of support among Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos chiefs but made clear he wouldn’t talk to any clubs until after Euro 2024. There is yet to be any suggestion that contact was made with the England boss.
Kieran McKenna
Talks were opened with McKenna’s representatives before the FA Cup final, but the former Man Utd coach opted to sign a new deal with Ipswich after Ten Hag’s Wembley win.
Roberto De Zerbi
Allegedly sounded out before the FA Cup final with salary expectations discussed. But Ineos chiefs concluded ex-Brighton boss was not the right fit for the project.
Thomas Frank
Brentford boss met Man Utd representatives the day before the FA Cup final. The Dane also dined with Ratcliffe, Roy Hodgson and Frank Lampard at the launch of a new Ineos car in February.
Marco Silva
Fulham boss reportedly met Man Utd representatives face-to-face two days before the FA Cup final, around the same time as Ten Hag was conducting his press conference.
Mauricio Pochettino
Fell out of Man Utd’s thinking in the first week of June, despite being a favourite of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Thomas Tuchel
Made a very strong impression and came across well during a Monaco meeting. Personal terms were discussed before the ex-Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss decided to step back from the process.
Ruben Amorim
Sporting boss was discussed by the Man Utd hierarchy but did not make the final reckoning.
Roberto Martinez
Portugal manager was considered in the early stages.
After lunch, there was a training debrief among the coaches and then from 2pm, they would use the video analysis to give personal feedback to the players.
But despite being popular with the first-team stars, especially Rashford, Fernandes and Casemiro, McCarthy departed in the summer.
He has not been afraid to speak his mind with some strong words about his former boss, suggesting Ten Hag “lacks fire”.
However, he still backs Ten Hag to be the man to get United ticking again – and suggested only one man would be a better option.
Ex-Ajax, Porto, Blackburn and West Ham striker McCarthy added: “People always look for answers like replacing the coach.
“Who are you replacing him with? Who else is better than what they have?
“You’re not going to get many managers – unless Pep [Guardiola] decides to change from City to United then maybe you might have a change in fortunes.
“But other than that I can’t really see there’s better than Ten Hag.”
