"I had the best job in the world" - Rene Meulensteen on his 12 years as Manchester United first team coach

Former first team coach at Manchester United Rene Meulensteen with former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Robin van Persie and Alexander Buttner

Rene Meulensteen, who worked as first team coach with Manchester United, is hailed as one of the best in the world by Robin van Persie.

He learnt his trade at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson for five years. But, according to The Telegraph, the Dutchman is now upset that his long association with United ended when David Moyes was chosen as Ferguson’s successor.

“I felt very strongly that the picture painted to us [by the club] was not the one that came out in meetings with David Moyes,” reflected Meulensteen. “I said to him: ‘David, with all due respect, you’ve done a fantastic job in the Premier League with Everton, but do you realise you’re going from a yacht to a cruise ship?’ Ferguson, the captain, had a good crew with coaches like me.

“I felt David wanted familiar faces which he is entitled to but it would have been absolutely no problem if he said: ‘I definitely need Jimmy Lumsden as a sounding board but, hold on a minute, this cruise ship has been sailing successfully with this crew for the last five years so I might as well sail along with them for a season and see how it goes.’

“It saddened me leaving,” added the 49-year-old Meulensteen. “I had the best job in the world there. I loved every aspect of working with those top players. I know the team inside out, the club inside out.

“I’ve given 12 years in every single department of the club, skills development coach in the academy, reserve team, technical coach for individual first-team players and then as a first-team coach. Especially the last five years have been fantastic for me. I’ve grown every day, every week, every month, every success, every defeat.

“The manager delegated to me. He trusted me. I was the one most hands-on. I visited the manager the other day, to see how he was getting on with his hip, and he reiterated how well it had worked. I hope now to get a really exciting challenge to work for somebody who has the same belief and trust in me that Sir Alex had for so many years.

Meulensteen has nurtured the likes of Danny Welbeck and has in-depth knowledge as well as first hand experience of working with various age group players in England.

As a result, he was visibly hurt by the fact that Football Association did not approach him when it was looking for a technical director for its National Football Centre or for England Under-21 job. Meulensteen was recently relieved by Anzhi after just 16 days as manager due to financial trouble at the club.

“My name was mentioned with the Under-21s. I never spoke to the FA. How can they pick the right candidate if they’re not even listening to others? My mates on holiday said ‘you’d be great for the Under-21s’. I said: ‘Believe me, they won’t go for a foreigner.’ But I’ve been in this country for 12 years. I’ve more affinity with younger players from England than from Holland. I know Welbeck, Cleverley, Larnell Cole, Jesse Lingard. Great players.”

With England’s toil at different levels in international football, he’s saddened too. “And I’ll tell you this: nothing will change, more advanced and adventurous coaching is required,” he says.

You can read the second half of the story by clicking here.