Former Cape Town City coach Benni McCarthy is hoping to secure the position of head coach at his former club, FC Porto.

The 42-year-old tactician has been without a coaching job since parting ways with the Citizens in November last year, following a poor run of results with his side winning just two out of 18 matches.

McCarthy was also linked with a move to Orlando Pirates, but he has since put that speculation to bed by insisting that Josef Zinnbauer is the right man for the job.

However, McCarthy, who played for Portuguese giants between 2002 and 2006, is now hoping to return to the club as a coach.

‘FC Porto have elections coming up soon. The incumbent president, Pinto da Costa, is running for the presidency again. He has been there for 38 years,’ McCarthy told the South African Football Journalists Association (Safja).

‘He is looking to bring in Victor Baia as his vice-president. Victor did mention something about recruiting players from that generation of 2003 to 2005, that won big things for Porto, to get back into the academy.

‘I had a conversation with him. Once the election is over and we know who won, we will take it from there. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that Victor does get elected as vice-president to Peter da Costa if he wins the election. That might be a good start for me. The manager that is there is a former teammate of mine.’

McCarthy has also revealed that he has an eye on the coaching position at Portuguese club Rio Ave, where his former teammate, Andre Vilas Boas, is sporting director.

‘My agent, Rob Moore, has been looking out what is there for me. Something interesting came up but, unfortunately, because of these crazy times [coronavirus pandemic], you can’t react to what is happening,’ he continued.

‘In Portugal, he spoke with my old teammate who is a couple of years younger than me. He is the sporting director at the club called Rio Ave. My agent was with him and he actually gave my agent a few good tips on what to do and what might be on the horizon.

‘Once the dust settles and things go back to normal, I’ll definitely be following up. It could be something that is valuable for me because it is a place that I know of exceptionally well and where I’m very much loved.’

The former Bafana Bafana striker admits that a return to the Premier Soccer League is also on the table, but he is also monitoring the current coaching situation at Scottish side Hearts.

‘In Scotland, Hearts have gone down. We will monitor that. We will see if the German guy [Daniel Stendel] will stay or not. I’ll put myself back there as well. It is the club that is down the road from where I live. It will be ideal for me to stay close to the family.

‘The return to South Africa is also not off the table. It must be the right club. It must a project where I am able to work with people. They must have the same goals and ambitions as me,’ he concluded.