McCarthy's coaching career had humble beginnings with Scottish club Hibernian in 2015. Through application and experience, he rose through the UEFA Coaching Badges system before landing a gig at Cape Town City. The local guided them to an MTN 8 title, his first silverware as a coach. McCarthy then went on to work wonders at AmaZulu, who finished a record-high second place in the 2020-21 DStv Premiership season.

This earned McCarthy a coaching job at Manchester United, where he would manage the first team with a specific focus on the forwards. It was a massive step up for the Hanover Park native. Working alongside world-class strikers such as Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial was the stuff of dreams.

While he was criticised for United's poor showing in front of goal - where they scored just 57 goals in 38 Premier League games in the 2022-23 season- McCarthy did play a key part in the club's two trophies in two years and left at the end of his two-year contract with no regrets.

Reflecting on his time, he felt privileged to work with the talented ten Hag.

"It was a wonderful opportunity to learn, and I respect the game even more now because I know now exactly what it takes to be a top-level manager," the 47-year-old told Vodacom Soccer, via betonlinepromocodes.com.

"In Erik, I saw one working first-hand. He was relentless in his work and how he wanted to perfect things. Of course, it didn't always go to plan, because we weren't given the right tools. We didn't have the players we'd identified as the ones we wanted. But he tried to make it work, to fit everyone into his team, to make United great once more.

"Listen, we were in charge of United when Manchester City were demolishing everything, winning the treble, but we beat them to win the FA Cup, and we won the Carabao Cup when they were at their best. People talk about Pep's City as the best ever, but we won two major trophies in that era. The team, the technical team, deserve respect for what they achieved. Yes, we didn't win the league, but we took them to finals and won things.

"Against Sevilla in the Europa League semi-final, we were unlucky. We destroyed them at Old Trafford and we let them off the hook, and they beat us at Seville. If we won that, I think we'd have won the Europa League as well.

"We were solid, we looked a good side against a strong Barcelona as well. We had destroyed a lot of teams. We should be proud of what we achieved, and I hope the club can build on what we did. Unfortunately, there's a change of owner, and that brings a new set of problems."

McCarthy was an accomplished player in his own right. His finishing skills earned him a place in one of Porto's best-ever teams, which went on to win the UEFA Champions League in 2003-04. While the accolades were great, McCarthy relished the time with the team.

"My greatest memory is just the sense of camaraderie that we had in the team. We had such a unique team," said the sharpshooter, who scored 47 goals for Porto.

"It was a family environment. It was a rule, twice a month we had to go out for team bonding, have a few drinks. It was an obligation. The whole squad, everyone was present. I think when you have those moments with teammates, intimate moments where you get to know each other more, it's vital. You get to talk about everything, more than just football.

"You understand each other more, you know their lifestyle, what is going on with them, their problems. That was amazing and it made us successful."

During his time in the No. 17 Bafana Bafana shirt, McCarthy was lethal in front of goal. The striker went on to become South Africa's all-time leading scorer with 31 goals. McCarthy had sage advice for young striker looking to follow in his footsteps.

"Keep working hard, keep believing in yourself," he added.

"No one's going to open any doors for you. No one's going to make life easy for you. You're going to be disappointed once, twice, and then that is when there could be an opportunity for you to achieve what you always wanted to.

"Nowadays, younger players tend to give up at the first setback. They're not persistent, there's not enough determination to succeed. Hard work is a talent of its own, it's not something you just do for its own sake.

"When I was coming through, it was football, eat, sleep. I couldn't see myself doing anything else. So I spent loads of time just doing what I do best - playing football. When training is done, more, you do extra. When you get back from training, you have a kickabout, you play indoor football. Players these days, unless you pull them aside to do more work, they just go home. Everyone just leaves."

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