For Rene Meulensteen, the last few lines on his resume have been relatively short ones.
There was the two-month stint as manager of Fulham, which sounds like an eternity compared to the 16 days in charge of Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia. He also spent a year at Brondby.
But, as a man in demand, Meulensteen’s new Stateside job has the potential to bear some long-lasting fruit, like his 11 years over two stints in the system at Manchester United.
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He’s been named a consultant for the Philadelphia Union in MLS, a club which is just one week removed from naming Jim Curtin its third-ever full-time head coach.
From MLSSoccer.com:“We are happy to announce we have engaged Rene Meulensteen’s partner in sports practice to consult with us on many of our key decisions over the next several months, as we look to benefit from his exceptional history of success in both player development and first team performance during his decade of work at Manchester United,” Union chairman/owner Jay Sugarman said in a statement.
“René has hit the ground running and I know Nick [Sakiewicz], Jim, Tommy [Wilson] and our team of coaches as well as our academy staff will welcome René’s insights and experience during this important period for the club as much as I do.”
Prior to serving as manager for Fulham FC in the Barclays Premier League during the 2013-14 season, Meulensteen spent more than five seasons as a first-team coach of Manchester United under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson. During that time, Manchester United captured four Barclays Premier League titles, a UEFA Champions League title and a FIFA Club World Cup title.
Curtin talked about Meulensteen’s vast experience being a boon for him, and said the former Fulham coach has already helped them refocus their development and player evaluation.
Sugarman said Meulensteen will be around for less than years and more than weeks, so it’s not a threat to Curtin. And he’s not a bad man to have around as a new coach separates the wheat from the chaff.