Meulensteen talks Fergie, LVG & Ronaldo

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  • Meulensteen was speaking at Go-Pro Sports in Dubai’s Academic City.

    Spending more than a decade under legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United would leave its mark on any coach.

    This is the background Dutchman Rene Meulensteen has experienced.

    The 51-year-old was a key part of the backroom staff which dominated English football, working his way up to first team coach during a successful association from 2001-13 which was only disrupted by a six-month spell as Brondby boss from June 2006.

    Meulensteen (r) and Sir Alex.

    His emphasis on technique left its mark on superstars such as Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, while he helped develop striker Danny Welbeck from a promising teenager into an England international.

    The retirement of Ferguson two years ago saw him make way under doomed successor David Moyes.

    He went on to follow Netherlands great Guus Hiddink to Anzhi Makhachkala, before taking charge of Fulham after a 16-day stint in the hot seat of the disintegrating Russian outfit.

    Newly unattached since a consultancy role with MLS side Philadelphia Union ended in May, Meulensteen reflected on his glorious past and exciting future to Sport360 at Go-Pro Sports in Dubai’s Academic City.

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    It is now two years since you left Manchester United. How has this time been for you?
    It has been interesting and different, to say the least. It was not an easy exercise to leave a club which you have been part of for more than 12 years.

    It also came a little bit unexpected. Then you come into a period of uncertainty, containing new opportunities and challenges.

    What is your favourite memory from your time at the club?
    I have a lot of fond memories. I look back on it with a lot of pride as I was part of the biggest club in the world and having served six years as Sir Alex Ferguson’s right-hand man.

    I have said many, many times I had the best job in the world. I still believe that.

    How have you found the progress your countryman Louis van Gaal has made as United manager?
    He is a very experienced manager who has had success at many different clubs. He has his own way of doing well. Now, you can see even though he is in his second season in charge he is still trying to come to terms with that.

    Hopefully for all United fans, they will get back to where they belong as soon as possible.

    Do you still keep an eye on what United are doing?
    Of course. When you spend more than 12 years with a club, you do not put it on the side.

    It is interesting to see the developments which are taking place, as you have been part of such an era where stability and continuity were such big factors in the club’s success.

    In the moment, they are trying to re-establish that. It will probably take a little bit of time.

    You worked so closely with Sir Alex Ferguson. What are the main things you learned from him?
    Delegation, for one. The manager in my time there achieved the highest level any manager has achieved.

    That comes with experience, success and confidence. You have to give certain elements of control to people you trust, and he was very good at doing that – especially in the latter stages of his career.

    Captain Wayne Rooney has been receiving criticism of late for his performances. What have you made of that?
    Players of that stature will always get criticism. Wayne has always been like that as long as he has been at United.

    He is a player who can sometimes blow hot and cold. He went into the Champions League game against Club Brugge last week and scored a hat-trick.

    These players are always vulnerable to that, so it shouldn’t be a surprise. 

    What are your memories of working with Cristiano Ronaldo?
    They are absolutely brilliant. He came to the club as a very young talent. He was a very skilful player, but what impressed me very early on was that he knew what he wanted.

    He just needed a bit of guidance. Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, myself and other people gave him that.

    He was very eager. Anything he’s got as being considered possibly the finest player of his generation, he deserved. He was always the one who put in extra work. He took 30-45 minutes on the training pitch – he was a sponge with us.

    Meulensteen and Ferguson helped mould Ronaldo (r).

    Would you be interested in working in the Arabian Gulf League?
    I have always wanted to. If opportunities came my way, I would definitely listen to them.

    If you have a good organisation and people want you for the right reasons, it would always be exciting.

    Football is always driven by a process and that takes time. That means a good coaching staff and manager are very important. I just need to wait for the right opportunity and for one which is, most importantly, given to me by people who believe in what I stand for.

    You are speaking to Sport360° in Dubai. What does this region mean to you?
    I have very good memories of the Middle East, after spending eight years in Qatar in the early days of my career.

    I always love to come back here. In Qatar, I had the chance to work with a coach in Wiel Coerver who developed the Coerver Method about how skill could be taught in a comprehensive academic way.

    I believed in his vision strongly. Coerver always used to say kids around the world are pure gold. I saw that in Qatar, where I went on to successfully manage Al Ittihad – now Al Gharafa – and Al Sadd.

    The UAE team have a golden generation of talent, who have just finished third in the Asian Cup. How do you see football developing here?
    It will get better every year as the infrastructure, cultures and input from people improves all the time. The key thing is to get it right with children aged six-12.

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