Former South African striker hired as Manchester United first-team coach
Manchester United have hired former Porto striker Benni McCarthy as first-team coach, according to The Athletic.
The 44 year old former South African striker has been working as a manager in South Africa’s top division at Cape Town City and Amazulu.
He was named 2020-21 South African Premier League Coach of the Year and in May of 2021 was offered — and turned down — the job as head coach of the South African senior national team.
McCarthy was part of the Porto team that won the Champions League in 2004 under Jose Mourinho. He also played for Ajax, Celta Vigo, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham and Orlando Pirates.
McCarthy speaks four languages and is a lifelong long Manchester United fan.
“I support Man United and always wanted to play for them,” McCarthy said. “I loved players like Mark Hughes, Andy Cole and Ryan Giggs.
“So I was heartbroken to score twice. My dream was to score once at Old Trafford, not to knock United out of the Champions League. I got hammered after the game by Jose Mourinho because I wasn’t very happy. He told me that if I didn’t cheer up then I’d never play in his team again.”