Fuming Barnsley manager threatens to SLAP his players after crushing Man Utd defeat

Barnsley boss Darrell Clarke threatened to SLAP his players after their devastating Carabao Cup exit against Manchester United.

The Tykes were hammered 7-0 by Erik ten Hag's side as they crashed out of the competition at the third-round stage.

Marcus Rashford (2), Antony, Alejandro Garnacho (2) and Christian Eriksen (2) were all on the scoresheet as United ran riot at Old Trafford.

Barnsley were only three goals behind at the break but capitulated as the second half wore on.

Clarke, who was appointed back in May, provided his frustrated view after the full-time whistle at Old Trafford.

“Listen, they’re a quality team but we’re very disappointed in our performance," began the 46-year-old when speaking to Sky Sports.

"We haven’t done ourselves justice - that was my fear tonight coming here.

“A lot of my players had an off day. Probably one player, Mael [de Gevigney] probably comes out of the game with credit. But [it is] not an acceptable performance from us.

“I know it’s a big occasion against a very, very good team, I get that.

"They turn it on against Premier League teams but it’s a huge wake up call for me to the players to understand what it takes to be a top, top, top player.

“If I ever hear one of my players tell me Premier League players when they’re watching a game and they’re saying they’re poor, I’ll be giving them a slap because they’re miles off, we were miles off against a team that can absolutely destroy you when you’re not at it."

The victory couldn't have come at a better time for Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.

Ten Hag has faced persistent criticism in recent weeks after a sluggish start to the new season.

But United have now won two games on the bounce, scoring 10 goals in the process and kept consecutive clean sheets.

"Not for me but for the team this is the perfect night," Ten Hag said in his post-match press conference.

"I think we could do everything that we planned to do; how we win, next round, scored some great goals, entertained the fans, we worked on our game model so we are happy."