MANCHESTER United manager Erik ten Hag confirmed that legendary former South African footballer Benni McCarthy has left the club.

McCarthy had been a first-team coach at the English giants for the past two seasons, and left after his contract expired at the end of last month.

Bafana Bafana’s all-time top goalscorer opened up about his desire to become a head coach again at the end of the season, leading to speculation that his time at the club was nearing an end.

Ten Hag confirmed McCarthy’s departure, and that of Mitchell van der Gaag when welcoming Ruud van Nistlerooy and Rene Hake to his backroom staff.

“Mitchell has decided that now is the right time for him to pursue his own ambitions in a number one position; I want to pay tribute to his fantastic service over the past two years, and also to Benni for his important contributions. We send them our thanks and best wishes for the future.”

Before Nasreddine Nabi was appointed as head coach of Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs, McCarthy’s name was often thrown into the hat. He was also mentioned as Rulani Mokwena’s potential successor at Mamelodi Sundowns.

Before moving to United, McCarthy was the head coach of AmaZulu, whom he guided to their highest finish in the league. He was also in charge of Cape Town City.

Ten Hag is on a mission to restore the record 20-time English champions to former glory.

Ten Hag has signed a contract extension that will keep him at the Premier League club until 2026 despite a poor season in which United finished eighth in the standings.

“Now is a good time to refresh the coaching team as we look to build on the achievements of the past two years and push to the next level,” Ten Hag said in a statement.

The 48-year-old Van Nistelrooy scored 95 goals in 150 Premier League appearances for United between 2001 and 2006 and is the team’s top Champions League scorer with 35 goals. He also netted 35 goals in 70 appearances for the Netherlands.

Van Nistelrooy guided PSV Eindhoven to a second-place finish in the Eredivisie and a Dutch Cup triumph in 2022/23.

“Together with Erik, we are working to strengthen all areas of our men’s first-team operations, and refreshing the coaching staff is an important part of that,” United’s sporting director Dan Ashworth said.

“It’s a particular pleasure to welcome Ruud back to the club where he enjoyed so much success as a player, and I know that he and Rene will help reinforce the winning mentality and high standards we are aiming for.”

Hake has coached a number of teams in the Netherlands for the past 20 years. His addition, in the role of assistant, completes an all-Dutch managerial team.

United’s Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek has completed a permanent move to Spanish La Liga club Girona. (Extended reporting from Reuters)

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Ten Hag confirms McCarthy’s Man U exit