Benni McCarthy’s 2006/07 Premier League season with Blackburn, his first in England, still ranks as numerically better than the peak of Marcus Rashford’s powers. For a player with over 200 career goals in over 500 appearances, this can explain a lot.
The South African was not a flashy player, but he had a proven track record in the Netherlands, Spain and then Portugal before arriving at Ewood Park. It didn’t take long before it became clear why.
McCarthy scored 18 times and was booked in eight games. He was a real pest and an effective one at that. He went more than three games without a goal only once – a run that grew to five – but otherwise remained consistent. He scored in wins, losses, draws and only once did he get a brace.
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There was no stat-padding here, just a goalscorer doing his job well. Didier Drogba was the only player to score more than McCarthy that year – finishing with 20. Cristiano Ronaldo was about to really explode, hitting 17. Wayne Rooney managed 14.
So when McCarthy was appointed as a dedicated striker coach at Manchester United in 2022, there was a method of transfer that raised more questions than answers in Erik ten Hag’s first summer. The fact that McCarthy scored just 19 goals in his next three seasons (84 games) is more consistent with his age and injuries than a lack of strength or prestige. There’s no reason to doubt what he could bring to another, non-playing role.
It didn’t take long before McCarthy made an impression on British soil again. By Christmas 2023, Rashford was doing his best McCarthy impression. Now Rashford had previously scored seventeen goals in a league season two years earlier, and also had 21 direct contributions the year before. However, trailing by just four games in 25 games, he was not the player who previously attracted the interest of top clubs from across Europe.
McCarthy came in and Rashford found his mojo and some form. In February alone, he surpassed the disappointing performances of 2021/22, scoring fourteen goals before injury slowed things down in the final months of the season. He was still often used as a winger, rather than a striker, and played a key role in Ten Hag’s third.
Goals in the Europa League and domestic cups saw him reach 30 this season. That was the last of what now appears to be ‘prime Rashford’ that Old Trafford saw.
Compared to 30 goals and 11 assists in 56 appearances, he has 12 since then and eight in 54, spanning the entire 2023/24 season plus the start of this campaign. McCarthy left just over 12 months ago in search of a head coaching position.
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What is clear from his time at United is that, despite correlational evidence, there was a big improvement in Rashford’s performances. The problem is that even then it was only half the time. However, perhaps the loss of someone with an undoubtedly positive impact had not really been taken into account.
McCarthy is back in the news during the international break after suggesting Rashford did not get enough pushback from those at United while he was involved with the club. “Rashford is special, he is a special person,” McCarthy told South African outlet SuperSport. “He is pure of heart and he is Man United through and through.
“He was ‘Marcus’ to me. I’m honest and I think he respected that rather than me fondling him for other reasons. I was just a straight shooter and I think he probably didn’t have enough people in his life who being honest 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 he came to me with any kind of advice – advice about anything. We still message each other.”
Rashford has been criticized for having his head in the clouds before. Whether it’s his perceived laziness on the pitch, his priorities outside of football, or even the new contract he signed. As someone with a typically tough South African background, McCarthy is not the type to mince words or offer preferential treatment.
That may have been exactly what Rashford needed. The fact that their relationship continues is a sign of that. But at the same time, the absence of McCarthy may be felt, and a figure at United who will get through to Rashford in a way that few have done so publicly.
After all, we know that Rashford was a McCarthy fan from the start. “I think he did a good job,” the now 26-year-old said in 2022. “It’s always good for us to have a certain coach who focuses on us as a forward.
“We worked more as a team in the future, creating more chances and scoring more goals. So it is still early and Benni himself will tell you that his ambitions are much bigger than what we have done so far. He keeps pushing us, keeps trying to make us better.”
On a personal level, there was also another layer. “Benni was great with me. Like I said before, with all the forward guys and you have to remember that Benni is part of a full coaching system so everyone plays their role, so Benni is on top of what we need.
“Yes, his relationship with me is very good. We talk a lot, we always analyze games and show me ways to improve. You know, little things that can help me create more chances, score more goals, and maybe also create space for other players. We do a lot of work.”
United now find themselves in a time of even more turmoil. Rashford is out of form, out of sorts, out of confidence and seemingly without support. Ten Hag has bigger problems to worry about, and from the outside, McCarthy’s sounding block is gone.
There are others who Rashford has a close relationship with at the club, but it’s hard to deny that his best results have come with a gritty South African alongside him. McCarthy’s departure was not widely mourned, but the end result could have been greater than expected.