Benni McCarthy has been appointed a first team coach at Manchester United in an extraordinary coup for the South African legend.
He will be one of new manager Erik ten Hag’s key assistants after being interviewed for the job and serve as the first team striker’s coach. His job will be to co-ordinate the attackers at the club, although he has the title of ‘first team coach’.
It will be the fulfilment of a dream for McCarthy, who supported Manchester United as a boy and famously scored against them in the Champions League for FC Porto.
McCarthy was previously coach at Cape Town City and AmaZulu and worked in Belgium as an assistant coach at St Truiden. He has been looking for opportunities in Europe since leaving AmaZulu in April as he is based in Edinburgh.
Ten Hag already brought Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McLaren in as his assistant coaches, but not made as many backroom changes as usually happens when a new coach arrives.
McCarthy convinced Ten Hag of his ability by putting on a session with the club’s Under-23 side and also after talks between him and the club.