Benni McCarthy has been hailed by former South Africa captain Aaron Mokoena for putting his country on the football coaching map.
The former striker has been hailed for his work with 27-goal Marcus Rashford this season, having joined the club’s backroom staff in the summer. He was previously named 2020/21 South African Premier League's Coach of the Season for his work with AmaZulu, before subsequently guiding them to a record 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 for both Blackburn and South Africa - is delighted to see his former colleague earn the plaudits at Old Trafford. Speaking to Sunday World, he said: “I am happy for Benni.
“It’s about time we showed people that we have played the game and that we have studied the game and now it’s time to plough back. The fact that he came back to South Africa adds to his credentials. He did well as a coach here, I’m talking about the positives.
“At Cape Town City he won trophies, he also did well at AmaZulu and for him to get that international exposure as a coach it is brilliant and it tells people that South Africa has what it takes in terms of coaching.”
Speaking earlier this season, Rashford was also full of praise about the impact McCarthy has had on his game over the past nine months. “He's done a good job. I feel like since Benni has come in we've worked more as a team going forward which has led to us creating more chances of scoring goals.
“He keeps pushing us, he keeps trying to get us to improve. Benni has been great with me and all the forward lads. You have to remember that Benni is part of a full coaching system.
“Everyone plays their little role and for the forward lads, Benni is that extra bit on top that we need. His relationship with me is good. We speak a lot. We are always analysing the games.”
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