Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy has reportedly decided to bring his former AmaZulu assistant Vasili Manousakis with him to Kenya.
McCarthy is edging closer to being appointed as Harambee Stars coach, with his unveiling reportedly set to take place on Friday, and he has decided to co-opt two of his allies into his backroom staff.
According to iDiski Times, McCarthy will name seasoned coach Manousakis as his assistant while his former Orlando Pirates team-mate Moeneeb Josephs will be his goalkeeper trainer.
Manousakis will not, however, travel to Kenya with McCarthy this week as he is still contracted to Cape Town Spurs, where he is the assistant coach.
Manousakis has a job in South Africa
Spurs are in a relegation fight in the Motsepe Championship and the tactician is considered vital for their ambitions but will link up with McCarthy later.
One man who will be with McCarthy in Nairobi is Josephs, a friend and former team-mate of South Africa’s leading scorer, during his two-year stint at Orlando Pirates from 2011-2013.
The three worked together at AmaZulu when McCarthy was head coach from December 2020 to March 2022, helping guide Usuthu to second place in the PSL in the 2020-21 season, their best ever.
Who else will be on Benni’s backroom staff?
The South African trio will be joined by Kenyan coaches on the technical bench as McCarthy begins a new chapter in his coaching career that has also seen him manage Cape Town City and work as Manchester United’s attacking coach.
It represents a great shift for the former Blackburn Rovers, Ajax Amsterdam and FC Porto striker as he will be taking over a national team for the first time in his coaching career.
McCarthy’s first assignment as Harambee Stars coach will be two 2026 World Cup qualifiers away to The Gambia and at home to Gabon next month.
