Former Manchester United striker coach Benni McCarthy has issued a stern warning to the Red Devils ahead of their crucial Europa League match against FC Porto at the Estadio do Dragao on Thursday.

The South African believes it will be a long day for the English Premier League side, especially given the added pressure on manager Erik ten Hag.

Ten Hag, in his third season at the helm, has faced mounting criticism following a disappointing start to the domestic campaign. United currently sit 13th in the Premier League table, having collected just seven points from six matches.

The Red Devils began their Europa League journey with a 1-1 draw against Dutch side FC Twente at Old Trafford last week. McCarthy acknowledged that United had a promising start to the season but expressed his confusion over their subsequent struggles.

“It was a good start in the first game beating Fulham and then Brighton where they should have won and they didn’t,” said McCarthy, who left United during the off-season as the Strikers’ Coach, as he was an analyst for UEFA Champions League matches on SuperSport TV on Wednesday.  

“From there onwards, it has been kind of missed somewhere, things not working, not functioning well and losing to Tottenham Hotspurs on the weekend and drawing the last game in the Europa League against FC Twente at Old Trafford, it was really poor performance from the team. 

“In the first half I think I thought they were decent, controlled the game but they didn’t put them to bed, and in the second half they completely changed the tactics, and it was a game of two halves. 

The former United striker, who played under Jose Mourinho during his time at FC Porto, emphasized the importance of a strong performance against Porto. “It’s a high-pressure game, and the players will need to step up,” he added.

McCarthy has fond memories of his time at Porto, having scored twice against United in a 2-1 victory in the 2004 UEFA Champions League round of 16 at Estadio do Dragao.

Heading to the second leg at Old Trafford, Costinha scored in the last minute from the assist of McCarthy to cancel out Paul Scholes’ 32nd-minute goal.

McCarthy believes that the Portuguese side will pose a significant threat to Ten Hag’s team.

“I can give them some sound advice, no matter how wounded Porto is (having lost to Norway side Bodø / Glimt in the first game of the Europa League), when they come back at Do Dragão Stadium, it is a completely different beast,” added McCarthy.  

“Porto is going to make life extremely hard for them and they would probably pile on extra pressure on the manager because I don’t think they will get the positive results. 

“But I hope I’m wrong and they do, but I just think Porto at Dragao Stadium, it is impeccable, and I don’t see Porto losing the game.”

The South African went as far as predicting a victory for Porto, highlighting their formidable home record and United’s current lack of confidence.

“I see 2-1 to Porto,” said McCarthy. 

“I think Porto is going to command and like I said at home, they are just a different outfit because they have a formidable record playing at home. 

“So, it is going to be long and hard for Man United because you can clear see the confidence isn’t there.  

“The minute things don’t go their way, and Porto starts dominating the game and having some moment where they can score, the confidence starts going low, then you get Man United on a back foot. At Porto, Porto is well capable of capitalising on that.”