ROBERTO MARTINEZ HAS been appointed as the new manager of the Belgium national team.
The 43-year-old was sacked by Everton in May after a difficult campaign in which the Toffees finished 11th in the Premier League table.
Subsequently mooted as a possible successor to Steve Bruce at Hull, the Spaniard dropped out of the race and has now signed a shock deal with the Red Devils.
Swapping club football for the international game is a highly unusual move, particularly when Martinez still has so much currency in England.
He had been spotted in Belgium in June but it was thought that Martinez was in talks with Anderlecht.
However, following the country’s poor showing at Euro 2016 – where the hotly-tipped side crashed out of the tournament after a 3-1 quarter-final defeat to Wales – Marc Wilmots was sacked and the position, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, opened up.
Martinez’s first competitive fixture in charge of the immensely-talented team will take place on 6 September when Belgium are in Cyprus for a World Cup qualifier.
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