Man United has announced the hiring of Benni McCarthy as a striker’s coach and the retention of Darren Fletcher.
Benni McCarthy’s employment as a first-team coach and the retention of Darren Fletcher on manager Erik ten Hag’s staff at Manchester United have both been officially announced.
McCarthy, a former striker for Porto and Blackburn, was revealed to have joined United as a striker’s coach on Saturday after the South African was spotted at the team’s Carrington training facility.
McCarthy “will specialize in coaching attacking plays and positioning,” according to United.
McCarthy, 44, a lifelong United supporter, scored both goals when Porto defeated United 2-1 in the first leg of the 2004 Champions League round of 16 match.
Fletcher, the technical director, participated in training during United’s preseason trip of Thailand and Australia and will continue to serve as a member of the first team coaching staff.
In January 2021, Fletcher returned to United as a first-team coach officially. He was designated technical director in March, but he continued to train with the club.
The 38-year-old took in games from the press and directors’ boxes before joining the rest of the first-team coaching staff in the dugout for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s final game in charge, a loss at Watford in November.
As technical director, Fletcher “also has a wider remit, supervising the process from Academy to the first team, plus players out on loan,” according to United.
With Eric Ramsay remaining, Ten Hag has already hired Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McClaren as his assistant coaches. The goalkeeping instructors are still Richard Hartis and Craig Mawson.
Despite the fact that Mike Phelan was fired from the first-team staff earlier this summer, United has not cut off their relationship with the former assistant manager.
