Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has opened up about a deep-rooted mentality issue at Manchester United, which could have contributed to the team’s disappointing UEFA Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday night.Follow our WhatsApp channel for more newsThe Red Devils suffered a narrow 1-0 loss at the San Mames, a result that not only ended their hopes of lifting silverware this season but also extinguished their chances of qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League. The team is also yet to hit the 40-point mark in the English Premier League as they currently sit 16th, but are in no danger of relegation after Ipswich, Leicester City, and Southampton dropped to the EFL Championship.##NAJAVA_MECA_8939384##The former West Ham United striker, who served as the Red Devils’ forwards coach for two seasons, did not mince words when addressing the psychological struggles within the squad. He revealed that many players lacked the internal drive and toughness required at the highest level, relying instead on the coaching staff to ignite their motivation before matches.“What I’ve experienced—I think a lot of players lacked that tough mentality,” McCarthy told SuperSport in a candid post-match analysis. “You’re depending on coaches around you to motivate you, to put you in the mindset to go out there and win matches.” Sichenje survives ‘pyro bomb’ but loses Serbian Cup finalThe Bafana Bafana all-time top scorer elaborated further, expressing surprise at how dependent United’s players were on external encouragement before games. He noted that, unlike during his playing days, the team’s confidence had to be artificially built up before each fixture.“It wasn’t within them,” he explained. “You had to have loads of dialogue and meetings with players about how confident they had to be. That was strange for me.”##NAJAVA_MECA_8945041##McCarthy attributed the mentality issue to a sense of complacency that kicks in once players sign for Manchester United.“I found that it was just a lack of strong mentality,” he said. “Once you sign for Man United, it’s like—now you’ve made it. There wasn’t that hunger or realisation that now the real hard work starts and you’ve got to maintain high levels week in, week out.”Rising Stars AFCON U-20 top scorer attracts global interest “I just felt that when you get to Man United, then you can relax. That was the biggest problem that I found,” he concludedCoach Ruben Amorim faces a huge rebuilding summer in order for the team to be competitive in the coming season.
