Benni McCarthy has been praised for Marcus Rashford’s incredible transformation at Manchester United.

Rashford is currently in the form of his life after scoring another two goals against Leicester on Sunday.

This season, he’s scored 24 goals in 36 matches in all competitions and has notched 10 in his last 10 Premier League games.

Some are even suggesting Rashford is the best player in world football on current form.

It’s hard to argue with the notion right now.

Is Rashford’s transformation down to McCarthy?

While he clearly deserves a huge amount of credit himself, many are pointing towards Man Utd coach, McCarthy.

The South African was brought in by Erik ten Hag in the summer to work closely with the strikers at Old Trafford.

During his playing career, McCarthy is known by England fans for his spells at Blackburn and West Ham. At Rovers, he scored 52 goals in 140 games and finished second to Didier Drogba for the Premier League’s Golden Boot in 2006/07.

Years earlier, he had helped Jose Mourinho’s Porto win the Champions League.

He was incredible in the air and once scoring a stunning brace against Man Utd in the Champions League

#OnThisDay in 2004, Jose Mourinho’s barnstorming Porto beat Man United 2–1 at Estádio das Antas. Big Benni McCarthy got both: The first a sharp volley and the second a simply ENORMOUS header. pic.twitter.com/ET23XZH6WB

— MUNDIAL (@MundialMag) February 25, 2021

How did McCarthy get the Man Utd job?

And now, an inside report from the Daily Mail explains the role he’s played.

Ten Hag wanted a striker’s coach and failed to bring in Robin van Persie from Feyenoord. McCarthy’s agent suggested a meeting with Ten Hag and the club’s football director John Murtough.

McCarthy’s case was that he knew the Dutch philosophy having spent time at Ajax, was familiar with the Premier League and had a history of improving players.

He was asked to take a few sessions with the club’s Under 23s which were overlooked by Ten Hag and his coaches. They were impressed and offered him a full-time role with the club on their summer tour. It’s believed he didn’t even ask about the salary before accepting the job.

After being appointed, McCarthy said: “I want to help these young players, push them, change their mindset and really try to make the difference to United this season,” he said after returning last summer.

“Hopefully, this season we are going to see a completely revived United — a hungry bunch of players.”

What has Benni McCarthy done at Man Utd?

McCarthy has held one-on-one sessions with Rashford to help turn him into a more ‘confident and direct striker’ and has also worked extensively on his heading ability.

The former Blackburn striker speaks four languages – English, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese – which helps him communicate clearly with the whole United squad.

Jadon Sancho has also asked to work one-on-one with McCarthy following his return to first-team action.

What has Rashford said about working with McCarthy?

“He’s definitely helped me a lot,” Rashford said in November. “To have attack-minded coaches is good for us. He’s always there speaking to us about these things.”

Notice Van Der Gaag shouting “Benniiii” after Rashford scored a header vs West Ham and Ten Hag and him looking approvingly towards Benni. something obviously Benni McCarthy has been working on with Rashford. Deserves credit he does ! pic.twitter.com/AQmfJeSz8u

— A D 🛑🔰 (@UtdDefence) January 18, 2023

What has Ten Hag said about McCarthy?

Explaining the decision to bring in McCarthy, Ten Hag said: “In our coaching staff, we had a lot of defenders and midfield players. I wanted to find a good balance. He is offensive-minded as he is a former striker, and that is also a really specific task in the team.

“I never played there, so I’m lucky to have someone on my staff who did. Football is about scoring. You have a goalkeeping specialist, but you also have offensive specialists and, in particular, we have a specific scoring coach.”