PICTURES, VIDEO: Benni, Ronaldo all smiles as praise pours in

Benni McCarthy has begun work as a first-team coach at Manchester United after it was officially confirmed last month that manager Erik ten Hag had added to his backroom team with the appointment of the South African soccer legend.

It was a disappointing start to the Premier League season for United, and McCarthy, as the English giants fell to a disappointing loss against Brighton in their season-opener before things went from bad to worse as a 4-0 thrashing was then handed out by Brentford in round two of the EPL.

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However, United bounced back in special style as goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford saw the Red Devils deservedly beat Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford, which has sparked a real turn-around for the team.

Manchester United attackers certainly came to the party as they helped the Red Devils beat Arsenal 3-1 in the league on Sunday evening, and many pundits suggested it’s clear that McCarthy’s influence is clearly being felt at the club.

Videos and images have since emerged certainly indicating that he is becoming a popular figure at the club.

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In a recent interview with SuperSport, Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes flashed a beaming smile when asked about McCarthy.

“He is a really funny person, he’s always positive, he has good energy in the dressing room and training ground… He was quality as a player and is quality as a manager because we do many drills from finishing, headers many stuff that he was really doing when he was playing and it can help us score some goals,” he added.

“Sometimes we joke, I tell him he was not ‘that good’ playing for FC Porto and he was dropping so many times and obviously our assistant coach Mitchell [van der Gaag] was playing in Portugal too and they know each other.”

“They always joke around about when they played so that positive vibe and good energy can be helpful for us during the season.”

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McCarthy has reportedly been a hit with Cristiano Ronaldo and other stars at the club, and manager Erik Ten Hag is said to be happy with his involvement so far.

“Benni is relaxed and he’s straight into the team and it’s good to have him here,” he said earlier this month.

“He has a different voice and this can be really helpful to get the right results.”

McCarthy hasn’t had much time to work with United’s playmakers, but all neutral South Africans will surely be rooting for McCarthy to have a successful start to his English Premier League coaching stint.

Below you can watch a clip of Benni overseeing a United training session:

Benni has been warmly welcomed at United

According to a report in the UK’s Daily Mail, Benni is already a ‘hit with the Old Trafford faithful’.

“Benni McCarthy appears to be a popular addition to Manchester United’s coaching staff, with insiders disclosing an almost Pied Piper affect at the club’s Carrington training ground,” the report states.

“The former Ajax, Porto and Blackburn striker – a boyhood United fan – has been holding extra shooting practice after being asked by Bruno Fernandes.

“McCarthy’s sessions have proved popular, with Christian Eriksen quick to join in. When Cristiano Ronaldo and new signing Lisandro Martinez found out they were also quick to get involved.”

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Recently, in an exclusive interview with SuperSport, McCarthy has now described how his appointment was “next level”, and felt like the reward for ensuring he never stopped chasing his dreams.

You can watch a clip of the interview below, or head here for the full video.