Benni McCarthy’s work behind the scenes with Marcus Rashford at Manchester United has been so impressive that it prompted Jadon Sancho to request one-on-one sessions with him.
Former Premier League striker McCarthy arrived in the summer as part of Erik ten Hag’s new coaching set-up at United. The 45-year-old, who played for Blackburn and West Ham during a successful career, was hired as a first-team coach with a particular focus on the club’s strikers.
He has worked wonders, with Rashford already surpassing his best-ever season in front of goal. The 25-year-old striker has 24 goals for the season following a glut of 16 in 17 matches since returning from the World Cup.
McCarthy scored 37 goals in 120 appearances in the Premier League himself and his experience is now helping Rashford make the most out of his purple patch. He has also worked closely with Sancho, with the Daily Mail reporting that the England winger asked to work one-on-one with McCarthy at the start of the year.
Sancho struggled for form and fitness during the first half of the season, with three goals in his first 14 games before injury in October. But he has looked revitalised upon his return to the side recently, scoring in the 2-2 draw with Leeds on February 8 and in the 3-0 demolition of Leicester on Sunday.
Ten Hag’s tactics appear to have helped, with the Dutchman keen to use the £73million winger in more central positions to make use of his pace against tiring opponents. Sancho’s goal against Leicester came after the Foxes gave the ball away and allowed him to break quickly and exchange passes with Bruno Fernandes before showing a striker’s instincts to tuck in a controlled finish.
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McCarthy has made a real impression since joining the club in the summer. The former South Africa international is fluent in English, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese, which helps him communicate with all the United players, and has a larger-than-life personality that has made him a favourite among the squad.
He was only hired after his agent met director of football John Murtough to push forward his case following Ten Hag’s failed attempt to bring Robin van Persie back to Old Trafford from Feyenoord. But McCarthy has proven to be a great fit for the team.
Speaking at a fans’ question and answer session in January, Ten Hag explained why he wanted him. “In our coaching staff, we had a lot of defenders and midfield players. I wanted to find a good balance,” he said. “He is offensive-minded as he is a former striker, and that is also a really specific task in the team.
“I never played there, so I'm lucky to have someone on my staff who did. Football is about scoring. You have a goalkeeping specialist, but you also have offensive specialists and, in particular, we have a specific scoring coach.”
McCarthy described his role in his own words back in August. "Coordinating movements and finishing and making sure that the guys are sharp and that they’re ready and that the goalscoring continues and that they get the right goal scoring boots on,” he told SuperSport. “That will be my function.”
