Benni McCarthy’s contract at Manchester United expires on June 30.
McCarthy, Bafana Bafana’s all-time greatest goal-scorer, will leave his job as manager Erik Ten Hag’s assistant after two years at United.
McCarthy, 46, joined Ten Hag’s backroom staff as a striker coach after the Dutchman joined United from Ajax Amsterdam.
McCarthy, a lifetime United fan, had a strong relationship with many players and loved his time at Old Trafford, as reported by the New York Times.
Manchester United striker Ramus Hojland posted on X, formally known as Twitter, โThank you, Benni !!โ, seemingly saying goodbye to McCarthy on the social media platform.
Thank you, Benni !! pic.twitter.com/GE4BF88YMT
— ๐ ๐ถ๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐๐๐๐น (@RasmusHojlundFC) June 27, 2024
McCarthy appears to want to return to his role as head coach.
The former Champions League winner with Jose Mourinho and FC Porto began his managerial career with Cape Town City after completing his coaching certifications in Europe. McCarthy’s latest club was AmaZulu, which he led to second place in the league and a spot in the CAF Champions League.
McCarthy was crowned Premier Soccer League coach of the season during AmaZulu’s outstanding 2020-21 season, but he was fired the following season when the club unable to match that form.
After a successful first season at Manchester United, the former Blackburn Rovers striker was credited for Marcus Rashford’s resurgence. However, United only managed 57 goals in 38 Premier League games, finishing ninth in the English top flight, a historic low.
The New York Times reports that United will hire two new coaches to replace McCarthy and Eric Ramsay, who left to join Minnesota United in February.
According to other reports, United are in advanced talks with former Red Devils attacker Ruud van Nistelrooy and current Go Ahead Eagles head coach Rene Hake to join Ten Hag’s staff.
