It is to be noted that Koeman has not held a coaching job since being sacked by La Liga giants Barcelona earlier this season.
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A significant development sees former Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman coming to an agreement with the Netherlands’ football body to become their new head coach after the 2022 World Cup. It was announced by both Koeman and the Dutch football association, which will see the former Southampton manager being in charge of the national team till the 2026 World Cup. It is to be noted that Koeman has not held a coaching job since being sacked by La Liga giants Barcelona earlier this season. A poor run of results at the start of this campaign saw the manager lose his job at Camp Nou.
He will now make inroads into the international setup after mostly managing teams at the club level. However, the upcoming job will not be the first time Koeman will take charge of the national team. It will indeed be his second spell in charge of the Netherlands. He led them to the final in the UEFA Nations League in 2018-19 and helped them qualify for Euro 2020 before taking over the coveted seat at Barcelona.
For the time being, Louis van Gaal will continue to lead the national team till the World Cup in Qatar but he will step down after the conclusion of the tournament. This latest development comes after van Gaal stated that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
READ MORE – Barcelona sack Ronald Koeman after La Liga loss to Rayo Vallecano
“I am looking forward to the new collaboration. A little over a year and a half ago, I certainly did not leave the Dutch national team out of dissatisfaction,” Koeman told the Onsoranje’s official website. “My stay felt good, the results were good and the click with the internationals was good. We will soon continue on that path. That is certain for me.”
He added on Twitter: “Proud to share I will be the manager of Netherlands’ national team again after the WC. I am very much looking forward, let’s reach new successes together!”
Meanwhile, the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) also released a statement on its website about the same. It read, “After the upcoming World Cup, Ronald Koeman will take over from Louis van Gaal as national coach. His contract for this with the KNVB will run until the World Cup in 2026 and has now been signed by both parties.”
READ MORE – Louis van Gaal diagnosed with prostate cancer
Not long ago former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal revealed that he is suffering from prostate cancer and is receiving treatment for the same. The Dutchman on Sunday revealed his condition on the Dutch TV programme Humberto.
“I didn’t want to tell it to my players because it could have influenced their performances,” he added, as quoted by BBC. “In each period during my time as manager of the national team I had to leave in the night to go to the hospital without the players finding it out until now. While thinking I was healthy, but.. I am not.”
Van Gaal divulged these details during an interview to promote a new film about his life. He added: “I’ve been through a lot with illnesses, including with my own wife. So that’s just part of life. [I] as a human being have probably become richer because of all those experiences.”
