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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Jacob Leeks

Benni McCarthy tells Man Utd fans his secret behind Marcus Rashford's scintillating form

Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy says he has got Marcus Rashford in "the right place" amid the England forward's devastating form in front of goal.

Rashford has been a revelation this season, scoring 24 goals in all competitions, putting him far ahead in the club's scoring charts. The Englishman has hit a rich vein of form in recent weeks, scoring twice in the win over Leicester on Sunday.

McCarthy has played a key role in that success, having joined the Red Devils as forwards coach in the summer. He was brought in by Ten Hag after the Dutchman became manager, with the other members of his backroom team having more defensive backgrounds.

If Rashford's form is anything to go by, then the decision to bring McCarthy to Old Trafford has proven to be a masterstroke. United supporters certainly seem to think so, with some thanking McCarthy for his work ahead of the clash with the Foxes.

The former South African international was modest with his reply, and instead pointed to Ten Hag, saying: “Thank you, that’s the manager, it’s the manager.”

When the fans replied "it’s you as well", he then gave a hint towards the secret behind Rashford's incredible form, saying: “I’ve got him [Rashford] in the right place.”

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Rashford has scored 24 goals this campaign, including a double in the win over Leicester (Getty Images)

Rashford has previously paid tribute to McCarthy, revealing the former Blackburn star has been key to his revival. And he insisted that having an attack-minded coach was an important part of Ten Hag's success.

He said in November: "He’s definitely helped me a lot. To have them attack-minded coaches is good for us in the squad, he’s always there speaking to us about these things."

And McCarthy's importance has also not been lost on United boss Ten Hag. The Dutchman believes that McCarthy's place in his backroom team brings a level of balance that was needed.

“In our coaching staff, we had a lot of defenders and midfield players," said Ten Hag. "I wanted also to find a good balance. He is offensive [minded] as he is a former striker and that is also a really specific job task in the team.

"I never played there, so I’m lucky to have someone in my staff who played there. Football is about scoring and you have a goalkeeping specialist, but you also have offensive specialists and, in particular, we have a specific scoring trainer.

"He has to add that, in details, working and for the rest of us, he has a relationship to all the players in our squad. He also has to work on the togetherness and he is doing a great job on that.”

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