Benni McCarthy has been praised by former South Africa captain Aaron Mokoena for putting his country on the football coaching map.
The former striker has drawn acclaim for his work with Marcus Rashford’s 27-goals this season, having joined the club’s coaching staff in the summer. He was previously named the 2020/21 South African Premier League Manager of the Season for his work with AmaZulu, before subsequently guiding them to a record-breaking second before leaving last March.
He also managed Cape Town City between 2017 and 2019 after a distinguished playing career with the likes of Ajax, Porto, Blackburn and West Ham.
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Mokoena, who played alongside McCarthy at both Blackburn and South Africa, is delighted to see his former colleague earn the applause at Old Trafford. speaking to sunday worldHe said: “I’m happy for Benni.
“It’s about time we show people that we’ve played the game and we’ve studied the game and now it’s time to go back. The fact that he has returned to South Africa adds to his credentials. He did well as a coach here, I’m talking about the positives.
“In Cape Town he won trophies, he also did well in AmaZulu and for him to get that international exposure as a coach is brilliant and tells people that South Africa has what it takes in terms of coaching.”
Speaking earlier this season, Rashford also praised the impact McCarthy has had on his game over the past nine months. “He has done a good job. I feel that since Benni arrived we have worked more as a team in the future, which has led us to create more opportunities to score goals.
“He keeps pushing us, he keeps trying to get us to get better. Benni has been great with me and with all the forwards. You must remember that Benni is part of a complete training system.
“Everyone plays their little role and for the forward guys, Benni is that extra touch we need. His relationship with me is good. We talk a lot. We are always analyzing the matches”.
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