Steve McClaren’s let slip what Erik ten Hag feels about Man United players

John Barnes says Erik ten Hag feels his struggling Manchester United team should know exactly what they are doing on the pitch.

Liverpool legend Barnes has opened up about his discussion with Trevor Sinclair, who is currently working under former United assistant coach Steve McClaren in the Jamaica national team set-up. It is said that Sinclair has claimed McClaren regards Ten Hag very highly, praising his top-class tactics and noting that his preparation means that the team should be able to go out on the pitch and perform.

McClaren, who was serving as Sir Alex Ferguson's right-hand man over two decades ago, teamed up with Ten Hag at United in 2022 and stayed until this summer before taking over as Jamaica's head coach – where he now works with ex-Manchester City winger Sinclair.

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And speaking on the Seaman Says podcast, via Betway, Barnes shared his conversation with Sinclair, who revealed that the former England boss had absorbed numerous tactics from Ten Hag.

Barnes said: "I spoke to Trevor Sinclair, who's now the Jamaica assistant coach to Steve McClaren. He said Steve McClaren was at Manchester United and got so many good ideas from Ten Hag. He said he's an unbelievable coach.

"Steve McClaren said that he's learned as much in the two years as he learned in the 10 years before, with what Ten Hag was doing from a coaching perspective. That's purely from a tactical perspective."

The 60-year-old added: "[Ten Hag] feels, once the game starts, the players really know what they should be doing, so why do I have to be up there shouting?"

The former Liverpool icon also drew parallels between Ten Hag and Arne Slot at Anfield, suggesting that being authentic to yourself is the key to performing well. Barnes continued: "People say to me that the problem with Arne Slot is because he's not like Jurgen, but you have to be who you are.

"So if you're not that kind of a person to be up and shouting, you don't do that. Is that going to get the Manchester United players to chase around more if you're there shouting and screaming? I think that's a problem. I think if the Man Utd players out of possession were just to work harder, then I think they'd be okay."

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Despite McClaren's backing of Ten Hag and his management at United, fans remain sceptical concerning his tenure at the club. United are 14th place in the Premier League, with just two victories from seven matches - coupled with an underwhelming journey thus far in the Europa League.

Following a seven-hour crisis meeting on Tuesday in London amongst United chiefs, Ten Hag's destiny in Manchester continues to hang in the balance.

Co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Joel Glazer convened a meeting with CEO Omar Berrada, sporting director Dan Ashworth, technical director Jason Wilcox and director Sir Dave Brailsford to deliberate on the current state of the club.

Barnes, though, feels that Ten Hag should be given another opportunity to turn things around after the international break. McClaren will seemingly share that view, and attention will soon turn to United's next tests. A visit from Brentford awaits on Saturday, October 19, followed by a daunting trip to Turkey to take on Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce in the Europa League, and then United go to West Ham.

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