Benni McCarthy has revealed that he is still in touch with Marcus Rashford after his Manchester United departure this summer and claimed he won the forward’s respect by telling him what he needed to hear.
The former United coach has earned a reputation for his frank opinions in his former club after he left his role on Erik ten Hag’s backroom staff in June, but he has talked positively about the connection he developed with Rashford.
McCarthy spent two years at United, with Rashford plundering a career-best 30 goals in 2022/23 before a much more difficult campaign last season, when he scored only eight times. The South African, himself a former Premier League striker, was credited with helping Rashford improve his numbers in front of goal during their first year together.
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Last season was more challenging, and Rashford lost his way on and off the pitch. He received a reprimand from Ten Hag on a couple of occasions, including for an unauthorised night out in Belfast that caused him to miss training ahead of an FA Cup tie at Newport. But McCarthy has defended Rashford as a person and feels that too many people are willing to tell him what he wants to hear.
“Rashford is special – he’s a special human being. He’s pure-hearted and he’s Man United through and through,” said McCarthy, speaking to SuperSport. “He was “Marcus” to me. I’m straight to the point and I think he respected that instead of me sweet-talking him for other reasons.
“I was just a straight shooter and I think he probably didn’t have enough people in his life who are straight with him because everyone tells him what he wants to hear because of who he is. I was just normal and I think he appreciated that so any kind of advice he would come to me – advice on anything. We still message each other.”
