New Manchester United first-team coach Benni McCarthy opens up on working with Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United first-team coach Benni McCarthy has opened up about working with forward Cristiano Ronaldo on the training ground. He also spoke about settling in at his new job in the United Kingdom stating that is has been good so far.

McCarthy is best known for his four-year spell at Blackburn Rovers during his professional playing career, scoring 52 goals in 139 matches across competitions.

He joined Red Devils head coach Erik ten Hag's coaching team last month. He is expected to focus on the positioning and finishing of the forwards at the Old Trafford outfit.

After retiring as a player in 2013, McCarthy began his coaching career in 2015 as an assistant coach at Sint-Truiden. He joined Cape Town City as the head coach in 2017 and later moved to Amazulu in 2020. He left his role with the latter in March this year.

Speaking to SuperSport (via Manchester Evening News), McCarthy shed light on his responsibilities at Manchester United. He said:

"I'm part of the technical team, first team coach obviously. So together with the manager and the assistant manager, when they construct the training sessions, I'll be in and around and just help where I can and then having my role with the offensive players."

He continued:

"Co-ordinating movements and finishing and making sure that the guys are sharp and that they’re ready and that the goalscoring continues and that they get the right goal scoring boots on, so that will be my functions."

He then admitted that he will settle in more at Manchester United with time as things get more and more hectic. McCarthy said:

"So far, it's been going good. I've had a few opportunities to work with [Cristiano] Ronaldo and the rest of the guys upfront and working on our finishing. But as the time goes by and things start getting more hectic with the Premier League schedule, I think I'll have more time and find my feet and then I'll have my work cut out for me."

Ronaldo is in the final year of his contract with Manchester United. He started off on the bench in their Premier League season opener against Brighton & Hove Albion on August 7 due to a lack of fitness. The hosts lost 2-1 at Old Trafford, owing to a first-half brace from Seagulls midfielder Pascal Gross.

Manchester United should let Cristiano Ronaldo go, says Wayne Rooney

Writing in a column for The Times, former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney opined on the ongoing transfer saga involving his former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo. He wrote:

"I think United should let Cristiano Ronaldo go. It's not that he can't play in a Ten Hag team. He can play in any team. But my personal view is that United aren't ready to challenge for the title now, so the aim has to be to build a team that can win the league in the next three to four years, and you have to plan for that."

Ronaldo was Manchester United's highest goalscorer last season as he scored 24 goals in 38 appearances during the 2021-22 season.