Ruud Vormer held concrete talks about a youth coaching role at Cercle Brugge this season but ultimately chose a different path. The Dutch former midfielder and ex-captain of city rivals Club Brugge decided to continue his career as head coach of Knokke's first team.
Vormer confirmed there was contact with Cercle about a position with the U18s. However, he declined the offer. Earlier this year he also spoke with Club Brugge about a potential role in their Club NXT youth academy. "I had two conversations with Club Brugge about possibly doing something in the youth academy there. That seemed very interesting to me too." Vormer explained.
Choice for the pitch
The choice for Knokke, where he previously coached the U17s, was a deliberate one. He preferred the day-to-day leadership of a first team over a youth development role at a professional club. The talks with Cercle were serious enough to consider, but his feeling pointed towards hands-on work on the pitch.
For Cercle Brugge, currently sitting 18th in the Jupiler Pro League with just three points from nine games, youth development is a key part of the club's structure. The green-and-black side is having a tough start, with a recent 5-2 defeat to Union SG leaving them 22 points behind leaders Gent. Manager Miron Muslic's squad has scored only once in its last five league matches, managing just one goal in 450 minutes of play. Their next fixture, a home game against Antwerp on November 1st, offers a chance for improvement in the standings. The squad will need to draw on all available quality, including academy players, to turn things around. The team's recent form of one win and three defeats in its last four matches highlights the scale of the task. Sylla. With 11 goals scored and 21 conceded this season, the defensive and offensive balance is clearly lacking.
The report in full is at voetbalfocus.be
