PSV icon had contact with Guus Hiddink: “Consciously waited”

Between 2002 and 2005, Mark van Bommel had Guus Hiddink as coach at PSV. Now the former is the head coach of Belgium.

Last Friday, Van Bommel made an excellent debut as head coach of the Red Devils. At the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, he won 0-2 against four-time world champion Italy, which earned a lot of praise from Belgian media for the former footballer.

Unlike in the Netherlands, the former PSV captain in Belgium has an excellent reputation as a coach, and that surprises Hiddink in no way whatsoever. The native Varssevelder lets it be known in the program De Oranjezondag on SBS6.

''He naturally has a very good name in Belgium. He had a few very good seasons at Antwerp, became champion and he’s a big shot there'', Hiddink starts off.

Then the most successful PSV coach reveals that there has been a lot of contact between the two people over the past few months. ''I have spoken with him a number of times over the past few months, and he has very deliberately waited to see what suits him. He also still had a few options to do something else in football, at a slightly lower level. He waited well and has said: I want to do that. He simply has a good reputation in Belgium,'' Hiddink said.

After that, tablemate Rutger Castricum jumps in, and the journalist also makes a note about Van Bommel’s good debut. ''It is certainly very nice for Van Bommel, but it is also Italy, you know. They can’t do anything about it either. Tomorrow we get France, and then I’m very curious. I do want it for Van Bommel, and I hope it works out for him'', Castricum said.