×

We've got news for you.

Register on SowetanLIVE at no cost to receive newsletters, read exclusive articles & more.
Register now

PODCAST | 'I gave a knockout session': how Benni McCarthy got the job at Man United

Manchester United first team coach Benni McCarthy looks on ahead of the FA Cup quarterfinal against Fulham at Old Trafford on March 19 2023.
Manchester United first team coach Benni McCarthy looks on ahead of the FA Cup quarterfinal against Fulham at Old Trafford on March 19 2023.
Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images

Benni McCarthy has described his dream life as Manchester United’s forwards coach, and how he impressed manager Erik ten Hag into giving him the job.

Speaking to Marawa Sports Worldwide, the former Bafana Bafana striker described how a conversation between Ten Hag and McCarthy’s agent, Rob Moore, led to him being appointed.

“Erik ten Hag came in [at United] and then he spoke to my agent, Rob Moore, about one of the players that was playing on Holland and an American player Rob also manages,” McCarthy, whose job title at Old Trafford is first team coach, told MSW.

“Once the conversation ended, he [Ten Hag] asked: ‘By the way, how’s Benni doing? Is he still working in South Africa?’

“Rob said: ’No, he’s back in Scotland.’ And he said to Rob to tell me to give him a call and if I I could possibly come and see him in Manchester.

“That’s how it came about. Obviously when Rob told me the manager wanted me to come and see him, it’s a huge lump in the throat because I just read a few weeks before that he had signed for Man United.

“I called him and he asked me if I could come down and deliver a training session because he was looking for a key member of his [technical] team working with the attackers, but someone who knows what he’s doing, who has been in the shoes the players wear.

“And also someone who could coach, and he’d seen my CV from working in SA and that I had some experience. But he also wanted to see me first-hand.

“We arranged a day for me to go down to Manchester. I took the reserve team players, who had Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo, all the youth players.

“And I gave a knock-out-the-park session. A good attacking session the players enjoyed really well. But you saw clear ideas of attacking football, when you’re going forward, the strikers involved and scoring lots of goals and chances created.

“And he loved that. Because that was exactly his playing philosophy, and [he liked] that I was also very attack-minded.

“He said he would let me know once they came back from preseason, but by the look of things and the way the session’s gone, ‘I think the job’s yours if you want it.’

“And, oh my God, I literally stood still. You can imagine the disbelief.”

McCarthy said he is aware that by making a success of his time at United, he can lead the way for other South Africans in international coaching.

“When I left AmaZulu, this was definitely not on the cards for me. But the sky’s the limit when you put your mind to it and believe you’re capable of anything. That was my belief.

“One door closed for me and another opened and I grabbed it with both hands. All I wanted to do was show these people that when you give South Africans an opportunity, that’s what we’re about and can do.

“I didn’t want to fail myself, my family and certainly didn’t want to fail South Africa because I knew that me succeeding would open a lot of doors for South Africans.”

McCarthy spoke of his life working with superstar players at one of the world's biggest clubs. 

He described his coaching career trajectory so far, where he has led Cape Town City and AmaZulu in the Premier Soccer League (PSL), some of the disagreements he had with players and management there and some of his frustrations encountered in the PSL.

For more episodes of MSW, click here.


Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.