AmaZulu to widen coach search as Benni McCarthy pursuit fails

The latest is that talks with McCarthy, who became available when he parted ways English Premiership side Manchester United where he was a forwards coach under Erik ten Hag, did not advance.

McCarthy is on the record saying he’d like to be in charge of a team that is going to play at the FIFA Club World Cup next year.

Usuthu have since made contact with Clinton Larsen and Ernst Middendorp, two coaches who are currently under contract at Magesi FC and Cape Town Spurs in the Premier Soccer League [PSL] respectively.

AmaZulu sacked Pablo Franco Martin on Monday following three successive Betway Premiership matches without a win and it’s understood president Sandile Zungu wants a replacement before the league resumes after the international break.

With players returning to training on Thursday, it was assistant coach Siboniso Vilakazi who took control of the session.  

The KZN side don’t play until the weekend of 18 October in the opening round of the Carling Black Label Cup, which launches next week.

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McCarthy was top of the AmaZulu shortlist, while Morena Ramoreboli, Stuart Baxter, Bradley Carnell and Muhsin Ertugral were offered to the club as options to take over soon after Martin was fired.

Ramoreboli remains interested, so is Baxter and Carnell, while it’s now understood Ertugral would prefer a sporting director role or a national team.

This now leaves Larsen and Middendorp, although the tricky part would be getting them out of their current agreements with their clubs.