Exclusive Interview with Benni McCarthy: Premier League and African football Insights

Last updated: by Liam Reaney

Former Manchester United first-team striker’s coach Benni McCarthy sits down with the Best Betting Sites team to share his insights on the current Premier League season. In this exclusive interview, McCarthy discusses Rasmus Højlund, Harry Maguire’s leadership, the future of Marcus Rashford, and his experiences at West Ham, Blackburn, and with the South African national team. He also reflects on the evolution of the Premier League and the rising stars of African football.

Manchester United

You mentioned in the past that United wanted to sign Cody Gakpo while you were at the club. Was there another player that EtH targeted but wasn’t allowed to sign and how frustrating was that for you and the coaching team?

Yes, there was one other player, and he’s at Spurs now. We wanted to sign Randal Kolo Muani, he was a player that we really liked. We looked at his profile, and just before we started looking at him, he’d had a huge impact with France at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

He was quick, strong, he was a goal threat. I think that was the kind of player that we kind of looked at and thought that profile really would suit the young team that we had. So obviously Erik asked me just to really just focus on getting the right players.

So it was Randal Kolo Muani – he was probably top of the list of strikers which I thought would come in with his experience, and what he’d done at Frankfurt at the time. l thought he was probably best suited to play alongside the likes of Rashford, Bruno and Garnacho at that time.

Then obviously Rasmus Hojlund was also in the frame. I think the club, the scouting department, decided otherwise and wanted Hojlund. They felt that Rasmus Hojlund was the better profile, younger as well, with longevity. It could give the club more value going forward. Because of those reasons, the scouting department overpowered basically what the manager wanted. The club obviously went according to the scouting reports and we missed out on Kolo Muani.

You were in the building between 22-24. What was the biggest challenge that EtH faced – was it the attitude of some players, was it the facilities – what do you think it was?

I think the biggest challenge any manager faces is the magnitude of the club. Manchester United is a massive club. I think every bit of news, whether we think it’s irrelevant, is big news when it concerns Man United. The manager’s job comes with a hell of a lot of pressure when you are the leader of Man United.

So you gotta get it spot on from day one, from the day you walk in there. Any little rifts or problems get out. And it’s not just gossip, it becomes massive news and it affects the players and then right up to the top of the management in the club. I think that was probably our biggest problem because I think the players were really phenomenal.

There were bits and bobs here and there where some players wanted certain things that weren’t according to what the manager wanted at the time. You have little misunderstandings or disagreements, but it was pretty harmonious and everyone worked really well. Then obviously there was just the odd outburst, which wasn’t what was in the manager’s plan. That was the biggest problem Erik ten Hag had at Man United.

EtH was roundly criticised by United legends while he was in charge. Did that noise ever get to him and the players?

Manchester United is a huge club, and I think everyone wants something to say about United because they know it will make big news. It will make headlines because of the magnitude of the club. You know, we felt that way inside the club. What we would do in response was to try to control everything in our power and accept people will talk about United .

So as long as we could control that side of things, legends and ex-players will always talk, because they are not in the day-to-day setup of the club. That’s how we just kind of filtered out all the noise that was coming from outside.

We tried to work the best way that we could, and to make it as positive and enjoyable for everybody that was part of the club at that point in time. We can’t control the noise from outside, and former players and legends, what they say, because it’s a free country, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

But we knew what we wanted to achieve and what we did while we were inside the club. So we weren’t really bothered too much about the noise from the outside.

But yeah, it does affect people, and it does get to people. When there’s so many voices from outside and you’re trying to build, to work on achieving something.

Even now, when you watch Man United, everyone has something to say about Ruben Amorim. I’m glad that he’s tough and he just blocks everything out. He works the way he wants to work. That’s why he was brought to the club, because of what he’s capable of, and the club is supporting him.

Everybody else on the outside, let them talk, and he just continues to do his work and slowly but surely it’s starting to pay off.

There are reports that Man United will be reunited with Cristiano Ronaldo in a winter friendly in Saudi Arabia. Given the way Ronaldo left, will it be a good chance for him to say a proper goodbye?

Oh, definitely. You know what he’s achieved since he came to the club, and where his career then kind of exploded even more when he went to Real Madrid. So he has only good memories at Man United.

I think the manner that he left, it wasn’t a fitting manner for such an unbelievable, world-class player of his stature. So if that is the case that United get to play against Al Nassr, it will be a nice way for him as well to reconnect with the club that he’s achieved so much with, and the club that put him on the map in world football.

So it would be a nice way for him to say goodbye to his teammates. Because I know for a fact after that interview dropped he just left and we never saw him again. He never got to say goodbye to the players, to his teammates and to the technical staff that was there. But this might give him a proper opportunity to reunite with the United faithful again. and the fans that will be there will give him a nice farewell, because that’s what he deserves for what he’s achieved at the club.

What was the reaction internally to that explosive interview that Ronaldo gave with Piers Morgan. Did EtH and his team feel let down and blindsided by it.

Obviously not happy, not pleased because he’s a United player and nobody really expected that would come out, or he would go on Piers Morgan’s show and then broadcast all the dirty laundry.

The technical team, the manager, we had meetings with the players, but there was nothing we could do to control how a certain person feels.

We know what was going on at the time in the club, and we tried to control it as best we could. As players, as the technical team, and the whole squad. We tried to control the situation as much as we could, and I think we dealt with it in the best way we possibly could.

That was Ronaldo’s view, but it wasn’t obviously the view that we felt in the wider team.

Should United have had more patience with Rasmus Hojlund? Is Sesko that much better than the Dane?

I think Sesko and Rasmus Hojlund would have been a good pair, to have two top strikers at the club. Both young, of course, both foreign, both from outside England.

They have to adapt. They need to adapt to their new environment. But I think once they both get going, it could have been a really good pair for United like they had back in the day. They had Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Teddy Sheringham. They had four really top-class strikers and you just have to try and make it work. And I think United would have had a similar situation if they had kept Rasmus Hojlund.

But I understand, players want to play. When you make that bold move to come to United, you don’t want to be sharing the load with somebody else or sitting on the bench while the other one plays and vice versa. So, yeah, tough decisions, but the club ended up offloading Rasmus Hojlund, and he seems to be very happy where he is, and he’s playing and he’s gaining valuable experience and he’s scoring goals.

It’s good for his confidence and he’s still a United player. At the end of the day maybe he’ll come back from this loan and then hopefully he’ll be ready then to kick on for United. And then he and Benjamin Sesko can work together.

For Sesko, he’ll have to adapt to the way of playing, and he’s already scored two goals now in the last three games. So once he can hit the ground running, United will have really good pedigree up front and they are relatively young footballers.

Do you think Manchester United will now make it three out of three against Brighton?

It was an unbelievable result this weekend. I’m really happy and really pleased for them. That’s now back-to-back wins for them in the league.

It was something that they hadn’t achieved since Amorim joined the club. They are on a good path, and the players are starting to understand the system. They are starting to look really comfortable, because they dominated against Liverpool in patches, and they never looked like a team that could lose the game.

They are making really good headway, and they must now take that same energy, that same belief that they went into the game away at Anfield, into every other game. They need to be fearless, and play the way they can, because United’s got a lot of depth and a lot of quality in the squad.

The win at Anfield was amazing and hopefully they can now kick on from here because the league is still very fresh. Look what two back-to-back wins can do for you. Two points off Man City.

They find themselves in a really good position. Brighton, that’s not the easiest game to play. They’re a very tough team, a very exciting team. But I think United will be more than capable of going to Brighton, getting a win, and getting themselves three wins in a row. That will just put them right back in the championship fight.

Harry Maguire scored the winner – is that the kind of leadership that should be rewarded with a new deal?

I think Harry has been an unbelievable servant and, during my time working with him, he was the ultimate professional. Even though he’s been under severe criticism from the whole world. But his mental resilience is incredible. He works exceptionally hard. He’s a player when it comes to training, he trains to win and that’s a great example.

I think when you have players like that in your squad, you want to keep them at the club for as long as possible.

Harry deserves to get a new contract and if he continues to pop up and score important goals in important games then it’s just a great way for others to follow his example.

Because after being criticised so much, when he puts on that Man Utd shirt, he gives everything for the club. He loves the club, he loves the fans. You can see that every single time he plays.

For me he deserves a hell of a lot, and not just because he scored a couple of winning goals, especially the one against Liverpool yesterday, but because of the stature of the guy and what he does for the club.

United are just one win from tying with City in second place – is a top-four finish a realistic ambition for the season?

Top four should be the aim. That should be the aim, to get top four, because the manager has been there now a full season. He’s got his philosophy, and you see that the players that he’s brought in, and everyone else, are adapting to what he wants.

They started to develop that personality, that character of being Man United players. Not just because they won back-to-back games, but you could see that it was coming.

Unfortunately, the results just went a little bit against them. But now they definitely should aim for top four and then I think within the next season, the ultimate goal should be challenging the top two. It’s time to challenge Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal.

For years they have been the teams fighting for the Premier League. That’s where Man United should want to find themselves, in and amongst those three teams, challenging for the league, because they definitely have the squad and the players to do so.

What do you think Ruben Amorim has improved since his arrival?

The belief in the players. Even when the criticism is really harsh, they still come out and they fight, they show character and they show personality. They want to win football matches and I think that is honorable. So if the team can continue to believe in the manager’s methods and the manager’s philosophy, they will be much better off.

I think they will achieve probably more than people expect, because at this point in time, no one thinks that Man United is capable of winning anything. But I think after you watch yesterday’s game, you can see that there is a title-winning mentality in those players. That’s largely down to the manager.

The manager believes in his style, his system, his way of play and the players that he plays. He must just continue on that path and he will eventually get it right.

Do you think Rashford should leave United permanently?

I think Rashford is in a great environment at the moment and when you watch Barcelona, he’s in every squad. He seems very happy, he seems settled. At United, Ruben Amorim made it very clear that he’s not part of his squad.

I can’t see the reason why Marcus would want to come back. He will probably want to make a permanent move, and I think it would be good for both parties. United can make the money by selling Marcus, then they can then pursue other players that they also want to add, and then both can be very happy.

Marcus is happy in Barcelona, enjoying playing really well, and playing the football that we know that he can, so he can move on. He can be happy and then Man United get the funds that they need by selling him.

If Harry Kane moves on in the summer, should United target him?

He’s a goal machine. But I’m not sure, with how Ruben Amorim plays, that Harry Kane is what he needs. I think Harry Kane is a little bit free. He’s all over the pitch. If you watch Bayern Munich, the assist that he made in the Dortmund game was from the right side of the midfield, that cross was one of the best assists I’ve seen.

At Man Utd, when you’re the No. 9, you should be in the box. And yes, he scores goals. I would chop a hand off to have Harry Kane in that United squad. But the manager will stick to his guns. He has his philosophy and that’s his principles. And he ain’t changing it for anyone.

I don’t see Harry Kane fitting into what he’s trying to do, what he wants to achieve, how he wants to play football in that system. The fact is that Harry Kane is in his thirties now. So how many good years are you still going to get out of him? He might cost £56 million because of the release clause, but maybe more if he doesn’t activate it. Then you’re gonna have him for two, three seasons. Two seasons maybe at his best. So, unfortunately, I think that United should look elsewhere.

Who should they sign this winter?

I think Carlos Baleba from Brighton. I think United needs more muscle. They need legs. They need power. And Baleba would be perfect. Alongside Kobbie, Casemiro, he’d be ideal with either of them. With Mainoo, both of them are so young, the future could not get any brighter. That would be my ideal.

They need explosiveness. They need a beast in that midfield because Casimiro is now past his best. He’s aging, so the club needs to start thinking about life after Casimiro, when he eventually leaves Man United, and then he leaves the team in capable hands.

West Ham

What do you remember of Nuno Espirito Santo as a team-mate?

Just a fun-loving guy. A great teammate, a great personality to have in the dressing room. He was a very serious guy as well when he needed to be.

He was one of my favourite teammates that I had, and I never saw it coming that he would become a manager, because he was very playful. Always had music on in the dressing room, and just made the environment really fun to be in.

He was also a top goalkeeper, but he’s become an even better manager. He brings results everywhere he goes. He changes the way teams play. When he joined Wolves, he turned them into a very good side, not a relegation-threatened football team, but a midtable team that could upset all the big teams.

Then at Spurs he didn’t get the time that he needed, but you could see that the dynamics were changing. His time was cut short at Spurs, then when he went to Nottingham Forest, wow. Unbelievable. What he’s done, what he’s achieved with that club.

If given the time and the backing at West Ham with the players that West Ham’s got, they could be a dangerous side. They’ve got really good players. If Nuno can get it right, he can get West Ham back in the top eight in the Premier League. The club has a beautiful stadium, and a loyal fan base. If you can get those players to really gel well and perform well, you can do something really special again with West Ham and put them back to being respectable.

Blackburn

For Blackburn to return to the heights of Premier League football, do the current owners Venkys – who are not very popular – need to sell up?

It is what it is. They’ve been at the club for a long time now, and it’s not really worked out the way they probably planned. But I’m sure if they put a bit more effort in financially, they can make it work, because they came very close last season to making the playoffs. Then they lost the manager just before the playoffs.

I think that was a little bit of a setback. Now, if they support the manager financially and they bring in the right structure of the club, they could maybe make it work.

But if it doesn’t work, then it’s on them to decide if they want to sell the club or not. They invested heavily since taking over the club. For me or anybody else to say that they must sell, or it’s time for them to sell on. I’m not in that situation to tell them anything to do. They own the football club, so they can do with the football club what they like.

As a former player, it would be nice to see the club back with Premier League status again. If they can invest wisely and just build that football club up, they can get the football club back to where it needs to be, and that’s in the Premier League.

What is your best memory from your Blackburn days?

I think the people were unbelievable. It was really a family club. It was a family environment. They made everything really pleasant for everyone that joined the club.

They made me really fall in love with English football because of the way they treated me. They didn’t make you feel like you were a foreigner – you were one of them. You were part of British culture, the local culture. That was what I loved about Blackburn as a football club.

And the football memories… The best memory on the field was definitely our quarter-final match against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup, beating Arsenal, knocking them out. I came on five minutes towards the end and then scored the winning goal. That was memorable.

Portugal

From what you’ve seen of Viktor Gyokeres, do you think he will be a success in the Premier League for Arsenal?

At Sporting, he was unbelievable. He was incredible. Arsenal has been dying for a striker. They needed a striker to make their squad a title-winning squad.

So far, he hasn’t scored the goals that they would have liked to but he brings a different element to Arsenal. Without him, everybody wants to come and collect the ball short and then play intricate passes and then play their way through opposition. Whereas with Gyokeres, it is completely different. He runs the other way. He goes in behind the defence and is powerful. He’s strong and is fairly quick for such a big guy.

So him going in behind stretches the opposition and sends defenders towards their own goal. That creates more space for the creative players like Saka and Odegaard. Gyokeres stretches the opposition more, and the goals will come. With him, Arsenal look complete.

African Players / AFCON

Who are you tipping to win AFCON 2025?

In qualifying, I faced Ivory Coast once and I think they’ve got a really good squad. They have decent players. They’ve got Amad Diallo, as well, as part of their team. They look really strong, they look good, and they could have a say in this African Nations Cup.

When you look on paper and you see the strength and depth in each squad, I’m leaning more towards the host, Morocco. I think Morocco is a formidable squad. You know, they’re strong and they’ll have the backing of all the fans, the passionate Moroccan fans that will fill the stadiums for every match. I think the hosts Morocco; it looks like they could take it.

And if you look now in modern-day football, Morocco’s under-20 national team is in the final at the Under-20 World Cup in Chile. They’ve just reached the final. So the trajectory of Moroccan football is really on the up. The Olympic team got into the semi-final of the Olympics. There’s something that Morocco is really doing well. Morocco will be my favourites to win the tournament.

Who do you think is the greatest African player to have played in the Premier League and why?

I think just based on achievements and impact, it has to be Didier Drogba. Didier Drogba was the most impactful player at the football club when he was at Chelsea. He was a leader. He was their main guy, and they had a serious team under Jose Mourinho.

Yaya Toure is also definitely in the conversation after his time at Manchester City. Those two are the standouts.

Is Antoine Semenyo the best winger in England at the moment? Which club do you think he would be perfect for if and when the offers roll in?

I was a big fan of his. I liked him very much after his first season at Bournemouth and I thought he would be a really good acquisition for Man United. He’s brave, he’s bold, he’s fearless and I think he’s the kind of characters United need in the squad.

People that take the game by the scruff of the neck and then just do it. Unfortunately, we didn’t made the move, and he certainly is probably the most in-form player in the Premier League at the moment. Adding goals too, being a leader in that Bournemouth squad. He’s a huge reason why they’re flying this season.

I think he would be a perfect fit for Man United, especially now that Amorim has drafted Bruno into midfield.

You would have had Antoine Semanyo on the left, Matheus Cunha as your No. 10, Sesko is your No. 9, with Mbeumo on the right.

Then Bruno, Casemiro, Kobbie, Ugarte are the midfield options. He would have been the ideal signing for Man United. But I think as things look, Liverpool might look to snatch him up.

Premier League

How do you think your old Blackburn teammate Keith Andrews has taken to Premier League management with Brentford?

I’m super psyched for Keith. Really happy that he got that opportunity, and he got to manage at Brentford.

I’m not the happiest with him because he thumped United a few weeks back before the international break! So not very happy with him beating United, but really happy that he’s managing a Premier League squad, and he’s holding his own.

He’s showing that young coaches are good enough if given the opportunity they can take the team forward. Everyone probably tipped Brentford to be in the relegation fight, and I think everyone thought that they would struggle after all the changes at the club this summer. Keith Andrews has done a really amazing job thus far and hopefully it continues.

Sunderland signed Brian Brobbey from Ajax in the summer. What advice would you give him in terms of adapting to English football?

Listen, he’s done amazing to get this far. When he was at Ajax, the way Ajax played the system, their football was built around playing for the striker. So he got service, and now he’s moved to the Premier League and Sunderland’s done really well so far, so he’s going to have to be patient and wait for his opportunity.

The manager got them promoted, so I think first he has to adjust to life in the Premier League, and Sunderland is not a dominant team like Ajax was. His role will be a little bit different, a little bit more running in behind, adjusting his style to the Premier League. But he’s got the qualities. He’s young, he’s strong, he’s quick.

When the moment comes – when his time comes – I think he’ll make it work and, and he’ll settle in nicely. He can make a decent career for himself in the Premier League, but he just needs to be patient. He needs to wait for his time and when the time comes, he’s got a grab it with both hands.

Champions League

Could Jose Mourinho spring a surprise when he returns to the UK when his Benfica team take on Newcastle on Tuesday night?

Away at Newcastle? I don’t think so, no. I’m not being a pessimist though. I just think I watched them against Chelsea, and it was a nice homecoming for Jose.

They played some good football. But they never looked like they could beat Chelsea. From my experience in the Premier League, every club, every trip away to Newcastle is hell. Even for Man United. When I was there with Erik, we suffered. We suffered because their fanbase is incredible. Those fans are really behind that team, and they make the 12th man count.

The team feeds off the energy. St. James’s Park is electric. And I, I just feel that Newcastle’s power in St. James’s Park is really difficult for opponents. So it’s going to be a very disappointing return for Jose and Benfica coming to St. James’s Park, because Newcastle will just be too strong.

Benni

There is a massive vacancy in Scotland with Rangers. Would you ever consider managing in Scotland in the future and is that the type of job any budding manager would love to get their hands on?

I am up in Scotland right now, so who knows? I’ll definitely put my CV in for Rangers one day because that would be like managing Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool, Man United up in Scotland because that’s how big they are. Ditto Celtic – if that job were to become available, it would be a dream job for any manager worth their salt.

They are two massive clubs and if opportunities like that present themselves here, you will put yourself out there. But the likelihood of you getting it is mission impossible. But you can only hope. That’s the ambition of any manager or anyone that is working in football management; you want to get to the highest level possible.

You’ve improved Kenya since being appointed manager and have taken the country up to places in FIFA’s rankings, while showing some encouraging signs with plenty to build on in the World Cup qualification campaign. You’ve had a taste of coaching in the Premier League, is that the aim now, to return to the Premier League as a manager?

That will always be a dream. But really, I think it’s almost impossible. There is a very slim chance. But you have got to keep dreaming and hoping, working extremely hard towards that because when you see people looking like me, there’s not a lot of us in management.

Nuno is probably the only manager that’s fortunate enough to be in such an honourable space. But for the rest of us, we’ll continue to work hard and hopefully that opportunity one day comes. But if it doesn’t, we will fight so that the next generation gets better opportunities off the back of the sacrifices we’ve made.

It will always be a dream to manage in the Premier League or Championship. It’s the best league in the world. It’s the most exciting league. It’s tough. It’s got everything. So as players now turned over to become managers, you would also want to experience managing against the best teams, managing against the best managers in the world. To test yourself, to really put yourself out of your comfort zone. So that’s what we all strive to achieve. I will continue to fight for that and hopefully one day somebody gives me the opportunity and I get to fulfill that dream.

Your best season in the Premier League for goals – 18 in 2006-07 – saw Didier Drogba top score with 20, Cristiano Ronaldo nab 17, Wayne Rooney, Mark Viduka, Dimitar Berbatov, Darren Bent all in the top 10 of scorers. We hear a lot of defenders on podcasts nowadays saying ‘strikers were better back then, I’d have no problems in this current era’. As a striker, what do you see? Are the modern guys not as good?

Hell yes. Yeah, we were just built differently. You know, football was our life. That was everything. It was almost like survival for us, because when you look at all those players that you mentioned, none of us were born with silver spoons in our mouths. We had to work extremely hard to get where we were.

When you were in that situation, you wanted to make the best of it. You wanted to make the most of everything, every moment counted. And the competition was fierce as well. You didn’t want to be outdone by your rivals. Players like Drogba, Wayne Rooney, Louis Saha, Emmanuel Adebeyor, Thierry Henry, Jermaine Defoe, Robbie Keane. Oh my God. The list goes on.

There were just more world class strikers in the Premier League and in world football at the time. Nowadays you don’t see that many recognised strikers anymore. Robert Lewandowski, he’s still one that’s out there. Cristiano Ronaldo is still doing it at his age. Alexander Isak did it for Newcastle, now struggling to find his feet at Liverpool – but he’ll get there. Gyokeres too. You don’t see the goals that us strikers back then scored in, in very tough conditions in the Premier League. The difference was the pitches were much more waterlogged and heavier than when we played compared to what it is now. Now there’s proper draining systems and so the pitches are perfect.

Every weekend we didn’t have that, but the amount of goals that all these strikers scored back in the day – we still smashed them in! So, you would say our generation of strikers were better.

Some strikers went for huge money in the summer – Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres – like you, moving from Portugal to the Premier League – and Benjamin Sesko. Sesko obviously is being tasked with being United’s leading man, Gyokeres the same at Arsenal. None of the three have hit the ground running. While fees are bigger nowadays, is it more difficult for new signings to make a big impact straight away?

Yes, it is harder because football has changed. Back then defenders were much more physical and if you had speed to your game, you could avoid physical contact. With balls in behind, you could beat them with your pace.

But nowadays even the big strong physical defenders are still very quick. Look at someone like Virgil van Dijk, not many strikers outrun somebody like him. So now they have physicality, and they’ve got speed to their game. I think it is a bit more complex for strikers to get the better of defenders in the modern game.

And this new thing of inverting wingers doesn’t help. Back then I had David Bentley, an out-and-out right-footed winger on the right. Morten Gamst Pedersen, the same on the left. They were making sure to provide chances for the strikers 24/7.

Every single time in a game, you’d get about 10 crosses from each side. But nowadays, the structures and positionings have changed. Now you play with inverted wingers. They are also now scoring goals, and they are adding more to the team’s dynamic than just to provide for the strikers.

You see the Man United strikers are struggling. Rasmus Hojlund didn’t score as many goals because the service wasn’t coming from the wingers. Strikers must completely adjust their game now to score more goals.

At our time it was very simple. We had out-and-out wingers that provided crosses and assists and all kinds of things. Now it’s just more difficult for strikers to get the service from the wingers, because not many teams play with out-and-out wingers anymore.

You have to rely on your midfielders, your No.10 to provide those assists, but we had it from all angles. Even fullbacks used to come forward and provide assists. So now it’s a bit more complex and a little bit more difficult. I sympathise and I feel for the strikers of today.

The Team Behind This Interview

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