Berbatov? I’d rather have Benni, says Hughes

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McCarthy joined Blackburn from Porto last summer in a £2.5million deal and, ahead of Thursday night's Uefa Cup shoot-out at White Hart Lane, had scored 16 Premiership goals — five more than Berbatov.

Scroll down to read more:

McCarthy: Blackburn's best since Shearer, says manager Hughes

And while the Bulgarian — who, like South Africa's McCarthy, has 22 goals in all competitions — is attracting the attention of Manchester United a year after signing from Bayer Leverkusen for £10.9m, McCarthy has also caught the eye of the Premiership's top four.

But Hughes insists McCarthy will not be allowed to leave in the summer and has hailed him as the club's best striker since Alan Shearer.

Hughes said: "Berbatov's had a great season although not as good as Benni's in the league. They say Berbatov is worth £30m, so you do the maths on how much Benni is worth. But he's not getting sold."

McCarthy has impressed his team-mates and Hughes added: "Benni has been very gregarious, always has a smile on his face and appreciates the work others do for him.

"He has a total of goals here that hasn't been surpassed at this club since Alan Shearer. He has been exceptional and next year will be even better as he'll have the benefit of a season under his belt."

Hughes has set his target for an automatic Uefa Cup place. He said: "Two wins this week is what we're aiming for [Blackburn are home to Reading on Sunday], and if Bolton lose we're above them — that's always a good yardstick."