Man Utd Coach Told Erik Ten Hag to Sign Two Premier League Players But Club Declined

A former Manchester United coach urged the club to sign two current Premier League players during his spell at Old Trafford, but they bought Rasmus Hojlund instead as he was a "better profile".

Benni McCarthy spent two seasons at United after being recruited by Erik ten Hag to work on "attacking plays and positioning".

The 47-year-old former Blackburn striker was credited with playing a crucial role in Marcus Rashford's form after the England international scored 30 goals in all competitions across the 2022-23 campaign.

He was also tasked with finding the best forwards available across those two years.

Speaking in a recent interview, McCarthy said he wanted United to sign Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo, who has since established himself as one of the Premier League's most exciting players under Andoni Iraola.

"I was a big fan of his," said McCarthy. "I liked him very much after his first season at Bournemouth and I thought he would be a really good acquisition for Manchester United."

McCarthy worked with Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at United. Image credit: Getty

The former South Africa international added: "He's brave, he's bold, he's fearless and I think he’s the kind of character United need in the squad. People that take the game by the scruff of the neck and then just do it. Unfortunately, we didn’t made the move."

McCarthy believes Semenyo would be a "perfect fit" for Ruben Amorim's side.

"You would have had Antoine Smenyo on the left, Matheus Cunha as your No. 10, Sesko as your No. 9, with Mbeumo on the right," he said.

"Then Bruno, Casemiro, Kobbie, Ugarte are the midfield options. He would have been the ideal signing for Man United. But I think as things look, Liverpool might look to snatch him up."

McCarthy would also name Randal Kolo Muani as the second player he recommended to United. In fact, the PSG forward, who is currently on loan at Tottenham, sat top of his list of strikers.

"We wanted to sign Randal Kolo Muani, he was a player that we really liked. We looked at his profile, and just before we started looking at him, he’d had a huge impact with France at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022," the former striker told BestBettingSites.

McCarthy recommended two signings to United. Image credit: Getty

"He was quick, strong, he was a goal threat. I think that was the kind of player that we kind of looked at and thought that profile really would suit the young team that we had. So obviously Erik asked me just to really just focus on getting the right players."

McCarthy says United would instead go for Rasmus Hojlund, who joined the club from Serie A side Atalanta for a reported £72 million.

"I think the club, the scouting department, decided otherwise and wanted Hojlund,' he added. "They felt that Hojlund was the better profile, younger as well, with longevity. It could give the club more value going forward.

"Because of those reasons, the scouting department overpowered basically what the manager wanted. The club obviously went according to the scouting reports and we missed out on Kolo Muani."