South African football legend Benni McCarthy has backed Percy Tau to surpass his all-time scoring record for the national team.

McCarthy, who scored 31 times for Bafana Bafana, said in an interview with the South African Football Journalists Association that Tau has everything he needs to surpass him at the top of the scoring charts.

However, McCarthy added that he wants to see the Club Brugge player – who has netted nine times for Bafana thus far – fielded in his preferred position by national team coach Molefi Ntseki.

“I think Percy has got every quality to succeed in Europe and to surpass me as the all-time leading goalscorer in Bafana colours. But I think when he does play for the country, they must play him in his favourite position,” McCarthy said from Scotland, as quoted by IOL.

“Percy has to play in his best position where he will be able to play the kind of games that you expect and that is to put the ball in the back of the net and chase that all-time goal scoring record.

“All great players have come and they have failed (to break my record). It is not that it is such an impossible record to get, it is there for the taking. Percy shouldn’t be played out of position. Every time I watch a Bafana match, I see Percy playing in a different position.”

McCarthy continued, “If he is the most influential player we have, why should he be sacrificed? Lionel Messi (Barcelona) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) play where they love to play. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) doesn’t get played on the right wing.

“If you do that you are depriving the player to give of his best. If Percy says he is the number nine, he should play the number nine. Every other number nine should compete for that position.

“Let’s not shift a top player into a wide position to accommodate the one doing well at their clubs. The only way Percy will excel wearing that South African shirt is by playing him in his natural position.”