Former Bafana Bafana striker Benni McCarthy has thrown his weight behind Pitso Mosimane to return as head coach of South Africa’s senior team, Bafana Bafana.

Current Bafana Bafana mentor, Hugo Broos, has confirmed he would retire after this year’s FIFA World Cup, opening the door for a new coach to step in.

Mosimane said recently that he is keen to take over from Broos, and McCarthy reckons he is the right man for the job.

“Coach Pitso has my vote for that. I think he deserves another opportunity. He is the most prestigious coach to have come out of this country,” said McCarthy on Marawa Sports Worldwide.

“He has done remarkably well wherever he has gone, his record speaks for itself and just as I did as a player, opening doors for South African and African talent to reach Europe, he is doing the same in the coaching world. Teams in Europe want the kind of talent South Africa produces, and Coach Pitso has paved that way for us to be able to go there.

“He was perhaps young and fresh into his career when he first got the opportunity to manage Bafana Bafana after 2010. However, with the experience and knowledge he has gained since then, he would be my ideal candidate for the national team if SAFA decides to go in that direction.”

The 61-year-old Mosimane was in the national team set up from 2007 to 2012, as an assistant and later head coach.

McCarthy, meanwhile, is coaching the Kenyan national team but has made it clear he aims to return to club football.

“As I said, this experience in Kenya has been unbelievable and remarkable, but I think I’m too young to go so long without being active,” said McCarthy.

“I’m an ‘everyday’ guy; I want to be on the pitch, smelling the grass, and actively improving players. The international game holds me back from doing that because you simply don’t get enough time with the squad.”