McCarthy is our 'scoring trainer'

Ten Hag operated in defence or midfield during his playing days and has welcomed the input of former South Africa international McCarthy, who scored goals across his career for the likes of Ajax, Celta Vigo, Porto and Blackburn Rovers.

When asked about the 45-year-old's influence since his arrival as the start of a special series of questions posed by fans, the manager explained the role given to the ex-striker, who is also credited with contributing to the sense of togetherness within the squad.

“In our coaching staff, we had a lot of defenders and midfield players," said Ten Hag. "I wanted also to find a good balance. He is offensive [minded] as he is a former striker and that is also a really specific job task in the team.

"I never played there, so I’m lucky to have someone in my staff who played there. Football is about scoring and you have a goalkeeping specialist, but you also have offensive specialists and, in particular, we have a specific scoring trainer.

"He has to add that, in details, working and for the rest of us, he has a relationship to all the players in our squad. He also has to work on the togetherness and he is doing a great job on that.”

One of our forwards, Anthony Martial, recently told United Review, the official matchday programme, about working with McCarthy at Carrington.

“Yes, he’s a coach I speak with a lot," he told us. "Both on and off the training ground. On every occasion, he gives me a lot of good advice and that can only be a good thing for all the players involved.”

Look out for our video of Erik answering the fans' questions via our official channels from Wednesday morning. To send in your suggestions for future interviews, click here.