Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy reveals his plans but it seems he will snub Soweto giants, Kaizer Chiefs. The all-time Bafana Bafana striker, McCarthy’s name is linked with the vacant coaching job at Chiefs but he has set his sights elsewhere.
Media reports suggest that McCarthy is facing an exit at Old Trafford at the end of the season and reveals he wants to coach elsewhere.
Benni McCarthy to Snub Kaizer Chiefs
The former UEFA Champions League winner, McCarthy is reportedly on his way out of the Red Devils and says he wants to be a manager elsewhere amid links with Amakhosi. The 46-year-old has spent the past two seasons as United’s forward coach under Erik ten Hag and he is praised by strikers such as Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford.
McCarthy has proven to be a popular member of staff amongst club figures, players, and supporters, but there is doubt over his long-term future at the club amid speculation over ten Hag’s future. While there is speculation on the Dutch manager’s future in England, Benni is already thinking about his managerial career after excelling with United.
“With the knowledge I’ve gained and everything I’ve contributed to the team – I want to take that and then eventually become a manager,” he told YOU Magazine. “Because once you’ve sat in the hot seat at a club and you’ve experienced the adrenaline of decision-making and leading, you want to experience that again one day.”
Besides leading DStv Premiership sides, Cape Town City in 2017 and AmaZulu in 2022, McCarthy also coached a Scottish side, Hibernian back in 2013. He also mentored a Belgian club Sint-Truidense two years later as he was hired as an assistant coach.
He was given his first managerial job with Cape Town City in 2017 before being sacked two years later. McCarthy then spent another two years with AmaZulu before taking his current role in July 2022.
Benni McCarthy Not Eyeing Return to South Africa
According to iDiski Times, the former Ajax Amsterdam Town and FC Porto hitman, Benni is inspired by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. Gerrard is currently coaching in Saudi Arabia with Pitso Mosimane, saying his dream is to also follow the English Premier League legend.
While his dream to work at the club he supported as a child is uncertain, McCarthy remains open to work elsewhere but a return to South Africa is a doubt. “That is a dream too, to one day you get to a stage where you are up against your former peers that you used to play against now,” said Benni.
“Because it’s Robin van Persie that’s starting to be a manager. Xabi Alonso is already flying where he’s coaching at Bayer Leverkusen.
“Steven Gerrard is doing his thing in Saudi, and then you’ve got Frank Lampard, obviously. “He’s been not so successful, but he’s also managing, you’ve got Wayne Rooney, so it’s that generation, my generation, that’s the next coaches for the next 10, 15 years, until the generation after us will come and take over from us, you know? So this is now the stage for us to flourish. Yes, of course, that is my hope that I get the opportunity, then I get the opportunity to manage again, my team against a Xabi Alonso team or a Steven Gerrard, and the likes and so forth.”
As things stand, this publication reported that Benni is among the top five coaches who are candidates for the Chiefs’ managerial role as they want to return to their glory days.
Related: Kaizer Chiefs: Top Five Coaching Candidates For The Job