Is the McCarthy era coming to an end at Blackburn?

Last season South African hitman Benni McCarthy caused a sensation in the Premier League and the fans also warmed to him like a duck to water.

He was in great form and the former Porto star looked to have settled in very quickly to life in the English game and with his Blackburn colleagues on the pitch. He scored 24 goals over the season, not bad for a player Mark Hughes snapped up for only £2.5m.

This season, though, McCarthy seems to have lost his way. The constant speculation that he wants to leave the club has not helped.

The media seem to think that Benni is far too good to stay at a team 'like Blackburn' and the player has hinted that he would like to play European football, especially in the Champions League. But McCarthy is happy at Blackburn and the club has been doing well under the guidance of the excellent Mark Hughes.