STEPHEN McManus last night described criticism of Motherwell’s playing style as “disappointing” and insisted they would once again prove what a good footballing side they were in the Betfred Cup final against his former club Celtic.

The Fir Park team were branded dirty by many in Scottish football in the wake of their 2-0 win over Rangers – whose centre half Fabio Cardoso ended up with a broken nose - in the semi-final last month.

Brendan Rodgers, the Celtic manager, was particularly vocal afterwards and claimed that Stephen Robinson’s men had “endangered players’ lives and careers” with their “constant physical challenges”.

Read more: Steven Thompson: Motherwell have defied all season, it's up to them to do that against Celtic

However, McManus, the former Celtic captain who is now a key member of Robinson’s backroom team, believes the condemnation was wholly unjustified and is confident that Motherwell will show that at Hampden this Sunday.

“A lot of people have jumped on the bandwagon,” he said. “What certain people have said after certain games has been disappointing. But our players just get on with it and play.

“We play a certain way and it’s a way that suits us. It is ideal for the players the manager has recruited. It is a physical game. But we can play the ball about when we need to. We are not just a direct long ball team.

“You don’t beat good sides just by being physical. If that was the case we wouldn’t have had the results we have had (Motherwell have defeated Aberdeen twice this season as well as Rangers this season). We have got players up top who can finish off, we have two guys (Ryan Bowman and Louis Moult) who can score goals, who can convert the chances.”

Celtic are on a record-breaking 64 game unbeaten run domestically at the moment and are the strong favourites to beat Motherwell – who they will face three times in the space of six days - and retain their trophy this weekend.

Read more: Where are they now? The Motherwell team that lined up against Celtic in their last cup final meeting six years ago​

But McManus revealed that Robinson’s men are content being underdogs. “Our players are in a good place right now,” he said. “They know they can play well whenever they take to the field whoever they are up against. Nobody expects us to get a result. That suits us. Every player and every member of the coaching staff believes we win the game on Sunday.

“The players respect every opposition team they play against no matter who they are and no matter what game it is – whether it is a cup final or not. It is important you respect everything about the team you are going to face.

“But when the whistle goes we always believe we can win. We are full of confidence at the moment. It is important that in a one-off game we don’t have any regrets at the end of the 90 minutes. We will certainly be well prepared because of what the manager and the staff have been working on. As a coach, you can’t leave anything left to chance.”

Louis Moult, who scored both goals in the semi-final win over Rangers and whose double against Aberdeen at Pittodrie last weekend took his tally for the season to 14, is the undoubted star in the Motherwell team.

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McManus, who brought an end to his distinguished playing career in the summer, believes it is the the English forward’s desire to succeed makes him such a dangerous proposition for opposition defences.

“I trained with Moulty every day for a couple of years,” he said. “He is an instinctive goalscorer, a real penalty box striker. But he has this hunger, drive, determination, call it what you will, to make the most of the opportunity he has. He has had setbacks earlier in his career and he doesn’t want to go back to that level.”

But the 35-year-old, who lifted the League Cup twice as a player, including once as captain, during his time at Celtic, has stressed that Motherwell are much more than a one man team.

“There is a real togetherness in this group,” he said. “Motherwell is not just about Louis Moult. Moulty gets the headlines. He’s the one finishing things off. But the hard work starts behind him. The players in defence and midfield don’t get the credit they deserve. It is a collective unit that works extremely hard.”

McManus spent the latter stages of the semi-final running up and down the Hampden stands delivering instructions from Robinson, who had been ordered from his technical area by the referee following spat with his opposite number Pedro Caixinha, and is pleased his colleague will be back on the touchline on Sunday.

Read more: Where are they now? The Motherwell team that lined up against Celtic in their last cup final meeting six years ago​

There was a danger the Northern Irishman, who was hit with a three match ban last year after being sent off during a game against Aberdeen, might not be allowed to take up his usual position next to the pitch for the final.

“I am definitely relieved on that one,” he said. “I won’t have to be up and down those stairs again. The semi-final was the most running I have done in the last few months. Seriously, though, the manager needed messages put across and I was happy to help him out.

“Any manager who has led his team to a national cup final deserves the chance to lead his team out. It wouldn’t be right for him to miss out. I am glad that common sense prevailed.

"As manager you are the leader of the group of players you have. To have him on the touch line will be massive for our players. It was important for our football club. It is such a big occasion for us.”