Benni McCarthy: What Mosimane, Mourinho, Rashford, Ten Hag Said About New Kenya Coach
- Benni McCarthy has been named the new head coach of Harambee Stars ahead of their next 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
- The former Bafana Bafana star has crossed paths with some of the top coaches and players in the football world
- Pitso Mosimane, Jose Mourinho and some other notable football figures have said some positive thing about the former Orlando Pirates striker
Benni McCarthy has landed the Kenya National team job months after leaving English Premier League giants Manchester United before the start of the 2024-2025 season.
The former Orlando Pirates star was unveiled on Monday and will lead the Harambee Stars in their next qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
This is the first time the Bafana Bafana legend will be managing a national team as he had previously worked a club coach in the Premier Soccer League before teaming up with Erik ten Hag at the Red Devils in 2022.
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What Mosimane, Mourinho and others said about McCarthy
McCarthy is rated as one of the best players in South African football history and he's already making his mark for himself as a coach.
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He had good spells with Cape Town City and AmaZulu FC before moving to Manchester United to work as an assistant coach for ten Hag.
Several legendary coaches and top players have had good things to say about the former South African international, one them being a fellow Mzansi coach, Pitso Mosimane.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns coach showered praises on the former Porto striker and see him as the person who can open doors for other managers like him.
"I see him as the person who can open doors for us," he shared with iDiski Times.
McCarthy mentioned an incident that involves Jose Mourinho, when Porto face Manchester United in the Champions League. The former Real Madrid coach jokingly served the South African striker after celebrating a goal.
"He got up, grabbed me, and said, ‘Great free-kick, I knew you’d score. Now, it’s time to defend—tell everyone to stay focused, keep the energy up, and just protect.’ He kept slapping me, and all I could think was, ‘That hurts,’" he recalled, speaking to MEN.
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Despite their differences after parting ways with each other, ten Hag also acknowledged the Mzansi tactician work at Manchester United.
"He has a great rapport with all the players in our squad. He’s also focusing on building team unity, and he’s doing a fantastic job of that," Ten Hag said, speaking to IOL.
Marcus Rashford was one of the players who enjoyed the benefits of McCarthy's coaching during his time with the Red Devils. The England international had his best time with the EPL giants while Benni was at the club.
The English forward, while speaking about the South African coach, claimed he was happy to work with him as he kept on pushing him to improve.
"Since Benni joined, I feel like we've become more of a team going forward, which has resulted in us creating more opportunities to score," Rashford explained to Times Live.
"It's still early, but he continues to push us and encourages us to keep improving."
Man United stars congratulate Benni McCarthy
Recall that Benni McCarthy was part of Erik ten Hag's backroom staff at Man United between 2022 and 2024.
During his time he won two trophies with the club - the EFL Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.
Shortly after his appointment as Kenya national team head coach, McCarthy shared a photo on his Instagram account, celebrating his appointment and several Man United players commented.
"Well deserved bro 🙌🏼 best of luck ❤️," Man United captain Bruno Fernandes wrote.
"Best of luck brother! You deserve all the best ♥️," Lisandro Martinez said.
McCarthy's first assignment in Kenya
McCarthy's first assignment is the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Gambia away from home on March 20. He will then face Gabon at home on March 23.
Kenya's Harambee Stars currently occupy 4th in Group F standings with 5 points after 1 win, 2 draws, and 1 defeat in four games. They are five points behind table toppers Ivory Coast.
Ex-international against McCarthy landing Kenya job
Briefly News previously reported that Benni McCarthy's appointment as Harambee Stars' new coach was gone against by a former Kenyan international.
The ex-international believes the South African will struggle to succeed as the East African nation's national team coach.
Nomso Obiajuru was a contributing writer in this article
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Source: Briefly News
