Just out of interest found this on Talksport also published in the Echo but no sure if anyone picked up on it so here it is.
Manchester United legend
Ruud van Nistelrooy has backed Director of Football
Marcel Brands to guide Everton to success and long-term stability.
Brands joined
the Toffees in the summer of 2018 after a successful eight-year spell in a similar role at PSV Eindhoven.
Van Nistelrooy told
EvertonTV: “I’m absolutely convinced that in the long-term and already now, the performance of Everton is up there with the top six, top seven clubs on a steady basis.
“It’s a huge target to get into Europe in the Premier League. There are clubs that are strong and have financial power, great managers and all the facilities – it’s enormous.
“But you can already see now with certain signings that Everton are becoming better every season and I think in the long-run it will be a steady club like all the clubs that Marcel worked for.
“I think Everton, with the history they have, the fanbase, the stadium – everything together – that package is something that can be in the top of English football for a long time.”
Van Nistelrooy worked under Brands at former club PSV as their Under-17s coach.
Also assisting Guus Hiddink with the Netherlands national team at the 2014 World Cup finals, Van Nistelrooy progressed to become PSV’s Under-19s coach in 2018, a position he still holds.
In explaining Brands’ approach, the 43-year-old said: “He’s a professional. He knows what he wants in a player and in a person.
“He connects quite a lot of dots together and you’re quite impressed with the way he knows his details.
“Then his personal touch comes into it as an extra. So when the first thing isn’t there as a professional you’re like ‘he’s a nice guy but it wasn’t really the story I was hoping for.’
“If the story is right, and the plan with the player is right, to develop, to become better, to know where the player can develop and what the player is good at then you feel as a person, as a player, ‘hey, with this club, with this manager, with this technical director I can improve’ and finally we all want that.”
“He connects quite a lot of dots together and you’re quite impressed with the way he knows his details.
“Then his personal touch comes into it as an extra. So when the first thing isn’t there as a professional you’re like ‘he’s a nice guy but it wasn’t really the story I was hoping for.’
“If the story is right, and the plan with the player is right, to develop, to become better, to know where the player can develop and what the player is good at then you feel as a person, as a player, ‘hey, with this club, with this manager, with this technical director I can improve’ and finally we all want that.”
