McCarthy keen to prove critics wrong

South African striker Benni McCarthy insists he will use jibes about his weight as motivation to prove his critics wrong this season.

McCarthy hopes to kick-start his spluttering career at West Ham even though he has been criticised by the English Premier League club’s chairman for being over-weight.

Hammers chairman David Sullivan launched his verbal attack on McCarthy in May after the former Porto star failed to make an impact following his January move to Upton Park.

The 32-year-old spent most of his time injured as West Ham narrowly avoided relegation and then suffered another blow when he was left out of South Africa’s World Cup squad for the tournament in his own country.

But McCarthy has spent the close-season losing weight and is convinced he can still shine at West Ham now he has learned from his past mistakes.

“I’m the type of person who, if I don’t train hard, I pick up weight. With my bone structure, body structure, if I don’t train with intensity, I will get bigger,” he told the Daily Mail.

“I used to eat the wrong things at the wrong times. Carbohydrates, you can’t eat at night. You eat it during the day and burn it off when you train. If you eat it at night, you store it and get heavier. That was my problem.

“I feel much better. I’m training hard and sleeping a lot. I want to come back and work my socks off because this is the club that employed me.

“They thought I was the player to get them out of the mess they were in last season and I thought I could do it.

“I don’t need to prove anything to anyone but I do want to show people what I can do.

“Winners go home and they get the prom queens. You get nothing when you’re a loser. All the best-looking women want winners.”