Fulham manager Rene Meulensteen will have plenty of friends in the home dressing room when he brings his Fulham team to Old Trafford.
Meulensteen has found things extremely tough during his first managerial appointment in England.
The 49-year-old has seen his Fulham side slip to the bottom of the Premier League and just this week he could only watch on as the Cottagers were knocked out of the FA Cup by struggling League One side Sheffield United. In his own words, he and his team are at “rock bottom”.
Ryan Giggs, however, has no doubts that Meulensteen will be able to step up to the task of Premier League management, describing himself as “fortunate to play under him for a number of years”.
This Sunday, the Dutchman will take Fulham to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, the club where he enjoyed so much success before leaving in the summer. Over two spells at United spanning a total of 11 years, Meulensteen built himself a fine reputation as one of Europe’s most highly regarded and respected coaches.
He first arrived at United in 2001 as a technical skills coach in the club’s youth setup. In his role with the youngsters, Meulensteen is credited with transforming United’s academy system and overseeing the development of future first team players like Danny Welbeck.
Les Kershaw, United’s former academy director, lauded Meulensteen’s work with the juniors, labelling him “the best coach in the world for kids”. By 2007, after a short-lived managerial spell at Brondby, he was carrying out a similar role with the first team. When Carlos Queiroz moved on in 2008, he was promoted to the position of First Team Coach.
Though he had been highly regarded during his first stint, it was during his second spell at United that Meulensteen’s incredible work really stood out, coinciding with a period of great success.
Between 2007 and 2013, United won four Premier League titles and two League Cups as well as Champions League and Club World Cup honours. Meulensteen’s input was invaluable to the achievements of the club and in his most recent autobiography, Sir Alex Ferguson reserved special praise for his Dutch assistant, describing his coaching as “magnificent”.
Meulensteen was an incredibly popular coach with the United players, especially the younger ones, who appreciated the emphasis he put on enjoyment, technical skills and self-expression with the ball.
Speaking in February 2013, Robin van Persie commented on the “exceptional” training sessions organised by his fellow countryman, proudly labelling Meulensteen as “truly one of the best coaches in the world.” The former Arsenal front-man was also able to give specific examples of where Meulensteen’s detailed and “unique” sessions had led to certain types of goals and won countless valuable points for the team.
Such was Meulensteen’s influence at United and particularly on van Persie, that David Moyes commented: “I was quite worried when I came in because I had lost Rene”.
Ryan Giggs also believes that his training methods are what set Meulensteen apart, saying “He’s got good ideas about the game, his training is really good and I hope he does well [at Fulham].” The Welsh midfielder also pointed to the Dutch coach’s penchant for “attacking football”, which always makes people popular.
Last summer, the lid was lifted on his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo throughout the 2007/08 season. In an in-depth interview with Henry Winter, Meulensteen revealed how he had assisted a player, who had hitherto been extremely talented but inconsistent, identify and focus on the targets that would help him realise his ambition of becoming the best in the world.
Together, they worked in great detail on Ronaldo’s finishing ability and positioning, but also his attitude and mindset. As United won a Premier League and Champions League double, Ronaldo scored 42 goals and was later presented with his first Ballon d’Or award.
Meulensteen finally left Old Trafford in June 2013, just a few days before David Moyes officially took charge. Many fans were sad to see the back of an outstanding coach who, along with Mike Phelan, had been Sir Alex Ferguson’s right hand man.
