South African legend Benni McCarthy says the opportunity to work with Manchester United was second to none.
The newly appointed Kenya head coach worked with the Premier League giants for two seasons under the reign of former manager Erik ten Hag.
However, McCarthy’s time at United came to an end in June with the expiration of his two-year contract.
After a successful career, McCarthy moved into coaching, the self-declared Manchester United fan was delighted to find himself part of Ten Hag’s backroom team.
“History just smacks you in the face because it’s the most iconic football club in the world,” he told BBC Africa.
“To have been part and parcel of that history was second to none. I was proud of being an African and having that opportunity.”
However, the former striker remains at a loss to explain the inability of numerous big-name coaches to arrest United’s slow decline since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
“Honest to god, I don’t know what the issue is,” McCarthy admitted.
“It is just such a huge football club, and the problems just seem to go on and on – and I don’t know how they’re going to resolve it.
“I’ve always been a fan – I love the club. It’s sad, and I just hope that the management, and the especially the coach, can rally the players because they are very good players.”
McCarthy and Ten Hag won two domestic cup titles during their time at the coach.
