MARK VAN BOMMEL will replace Phillip Cocu as head coach at PSV Eindhoven, the Dutch champions announced today.
“I think I have the experience to meet this new challenge, with a good feeling at the head of a team of this calibre,” said van Bommel, who is at the World Cup as an assistant coach with Australia.
After the Socceroos’ campaign in Russia is over the 41-year-old will return to the Netherlands to start his new job, PSV said.
“Mark will have the space to make small changes, but we, and he, believe in the personnel there at the moment,” PSV general manager Toon Gerbrands said.
After winning a third Dutch league title in four years, Cocu has left for Turkish club Fenerbahce, who announced his appointment earlier today.
Gerbrands said that PSV had first spoken to van Bommel two years ago about one day becoming head coach at PSV.
He was open to it and we have given Mark the space to develop himself.”
Van Bommel worked as a youth coach at PSV for two years and in this World Cup cycle has acted as an assistant as his father-in-law Bert van Marwijk led Saudi Arabia to qualification and then took over Australia’s campaign.
As a player, van Bommel had two stints at PSV and in between played briefly for Barcelona, spent five years at Bayern Munich and also spent a season at AC Milan. He appeared 79 times for the Dutch national team.
Cocu, who is 47, was also a midfielder. He also had two stints as a player with PSV and followed the well-travelled road between the Dutch club and Barcelona where he played for six seasons. He made 101 appearances for the Netherlands.
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