- Benni joined Man Utd before the start of last season
- He was credited for improving United forwards
- The Bafana legend comments on his season
WHAT HAPPENED? The former Orlando Pirates forward has just finished his first season as forwards coach at United after being roped in by Erik ten Hag. It was a season that saw McCarthy receive rave reviews for improving United's forwards, especially Marcus Rashford who attributed rediscovering his scoring touch to McCarthy.
The Manchester United coach has taken time to explain how he managed to help the Red Devils forwards, saying he also needed defenders to be sharpshooters.
WHAT MCCARTHY SAID: “For me, it's all about working on consistency, simple drills that strikers would face in a game seven out of 10 times and the more consistent you get at those the better you will be,” McCarthy said on 94.7.
“Even the defenders were coming to do finishing drills and we started making it into a mini competition and that’s how everyone kind of became involved in what I was doing. We created a competitive culture through that.
“A lot of the players there already knew who I was, and of course, I had to prove to them that what I am bringing can add value to their game. A lot of pressure was on me and you have to know your story so I just did things that I would have loved to have done as a player.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: McCarthy was credited for improving Rashford, with the United forward scoring 17 Premier League goals last season, a vast improvement on his goal return for the previous two seasons and equalling his best-ever return in the 2019-20 season.
Also, while the Red Devils finished the season third on the table and returned to the Uefa Champions League, they were the lowest-scoring side in the top six.
However, it was still a successful season for McCarthy on his first return to the Premier League as a coach as they bagged Carabao Cup and reached the FA Cup final.
WHAT NEXT FOR BENNI? McCarthy's season with the Red Devils is over after wrapping it up with the FA Cup final last weekend, but they will be back next season hoping to challenge their City neighbours for the Premier League title and pushing deep into the knockout rounds of the Champions League.
