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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Josh O'Brien

Fans spot telling moment between Erik ten Hag and coaching staff in Man Utd dugout

Morale is the highest it has been for some time at Old Trafford and that is thanks in large part to the efforts of Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag and his coaching staff.

Recent footage spotted by eagle-eyed fans also highlights how the relationship between the United backroom staff is clearly in a great position, with each member seemingly valued by the main man in the Red Devils' hot seat.

United's last league outing saw them topple West Ham 1-0 at home, with the game's only goal coming in the form of a Marcus Rashford header. In the immediate aftermath as the players ran off celebrating, assistant coach Mitchell van der Gaag shouted "Benni!" for forward coach Benni McCarthy, seemingly an acknowledgement of his methods and how they helped produce that goal.

The former Blackburn Rovers forward joined Ten Hag's backroom staff back in July, tasked with specialising in coaching attacking plays and positioning. United's goal against the Hammers was a thing of beauty, with Rashford continuing his impressive start to the season.

Summer signing Christian Eriksen delivered a delightful cross that had the perfect amount of weight on it for the England international to go and attack it, which he duly did. Rashford had the run on Hammers full-back Thilo Kehrer before blasting it beyond Lukasz Fabianski.

While United's number 10 basked in the adoration of the Old Trafford faithful, McCarthy was getting the Ten Hag seal of approval in the dugout.

Benni McCarthy is a member of Erik ten Hag's backroom staff at Man Utd ((Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images))

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The manager celebrated while looking at the ex-South African international in a small gesture that sums up the spirit coursing through the team at the moment.

Rashford has four goals this term but has made a habit of popping up at vital moments against some of the biggest sides in the league. The 25-year-old notched the winner against Liverpool and a brace against Arsenal earlier this season.

He has already equalled his league tally from last season in less than half the amount of games, which would suggest he is reaping the benefits of working closely with McCarthy this term.

Ten Hag discussed his decision to hire McCarthy at the time of his appointment, highlighting how it is not only the forwards that can expect to improve from the South African's guidance.

"There was still one place in our coaching staff that I wanted to fill, someone with a different voice, and Benni is that one," the United boss told MUTV.

"He has experience as a manager, he was a coach at the professional level and was a former striker — a really successful striker as well. He will focus on positioning and attacking. I'm not saying only for the strikers, but also the integration from the full-backs and midfielders."

With United recovering from a torrid start to now sitting just one point outside of the Champions League qualification, Ten Hag and his team has overseen an impressive turnaround.

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