Roberto Martinez now ready for club manager role after Everton approach broke down earlier this year
Former Everton boss Roberto Martinez announced his departure from the Belgian national team on Thursday night after they were knocked out of the World Cup.
Belgium were frustratingly held to a 0-0 by Croatia on Thursday in a result which saw the Red Devils crash out of the Qatar tournament. Minutes after the full-time whistle, a teary Martinez emerged to reveal that he was stepping down from his role as manager and technical director.
Martinez has previously spent three years as Everton manager between 2013 and 2016, and The Telegraph reported earlier this year that he came close to rejoining the club but didn’t want to part ways with Belgium before the World Cup had begun.
However, having now stepped away from the international scene for good, the 49-year-old is already discussing his desire to return to club football.
“Roberto Martinez will pursue options in club management after tearful scenes in the Belgium dressing room as he stood down,” The Telegraph reports.
“The former Everton manager, who had guided the so-called ‘golden generation’ to a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup, is now open to offers from the Premier League.”
Avoid
Martinez enjoyed three years at Everton and picked up some fairly impressive results during his time at Goodison, but that doesn’t mean the club should come running back to him.
His last season in charge of the Toffees undid all of his hard work at the club, and while his sacking now seems harsh with the club 12th in the Premier League at the time – things had fallen apart under the Spaniard.
On top of that, his reputation as a manager has tumbled ever since he took the Belgium job. His initial appointment raised eyebrows, with Belgium trusting the former Everton and Wigan boss with their best squad of a generation.
But despite managing the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois for six years – Martinez has nothing to show for it apart from one third-place finish at the World Cup.
His record with the Red Devils is abysmal and shows that Martinez isn’t the man Everton need to break their silverware drought.
He seemed to be allergic to trophies with one of the best national sides in the world, so the Toffees should turn and run away after hearing he’s available.