Kenyan national team head coach Benni McCarthy has made a candid admission about managing a national team at this stage of his career.
McCarthy took charge of the Harambee Stars in March this year, following nearly a year away from coaching after leaving his previous role.
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Before joining Kenya, his most recent position was as a striker coach at English Premier League giants Manchester United, working under Dutch manager Erik ten Hag.
The Harambee Stars job marks McCarthy’s first role with a national team. Prior to this, he had only coached at the club level following his retirement from professional football.
He previously managed Cape Town City and AmaZulu in the South African Betway Premiership, and also served as an assistant coach at Belgian side Sint-Truidense VV.
After guiding Kenya to the quarterfinals of the African Nations Championship, where they were eliminated by Madagascar on penalties, McCarthy has admitted that he is likely to return to club-level coaching in the near future
"My ambition is to one day go back and manage a club," McCarthy told the media, as quoted by Pulse Sports.
"I want to do this every day, I want to be with the players every day. At international level, you do not get that.
"Maybe when I am 70, I can come back but for now, I am too young to do this [coaching a national team] for 10 years," he added.
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"So, I want to go back to club football. It would be very selfish if I do not continue learning. In the near future, I would be looking to manage a football club because I want to pass the knowledge to players every day."
The Bafana Bafana legend now turns his attention to the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Kenya are set to face Gambia on September 5, followed by a clash with Seychelles four days later. Both matches will be played on home soil.
