Steve McClaren is set to begin his managerial tenure at Newcastle by appointing Boudewijn Zenden as his assistant, according to the Daily Mail.
The two men have previous footballing history, with Zenden scoring the winning goal in a League Cup final under McClaren’s management.
The 38-year-old Dutchman has been an assistant manager in the Premier League before, having served under Rafael Benitez at Chelsea in 2013. Zenden retired from playing the game in 2011, a career that saw him feature for Middlesbrough, Liverpool, Chelsea and Sunderland.
This news follows the sacking of John Carver and Steve Stone last week, after a miserable end to the 2014/15 campaign which nearly saw the Magpies relegated. However, goalkeeping coach Andy Woodman still remains at St James’ Park.
Newcastle will have to be swift in appointing Zenden as Liverpool are also keen on securing him as Brendan Rodgers’ number two. He won the FA Cup and was a runner-up in the Champions League final for the Redmen.
Failure to land Zenden could see the Magpies step up their efforts to sign Derby County’s Paul Simpson, despite speculation that Lee Charnley is unwilling to pay the Rams’ compensation fee.
