Former Derby County manager Phillip Cocu has suggested that he is open to the prospect of returning to management after taking some time out following his departure from the Rams.

Cocu arrived at Derby in the summer of 2019 following the departure of Frank Lampard to Chelsea.

He managed to guide the Rams to a tenth place finish in the Championship in the 2019/20 campaign after what was an up and down season for the Rams in terms of their form.

There was some hope heading into last season that Cocu could potentially take Derby further forwards in his second campaign in charge of the club.

However, instead things went in the opposite direction with the Rams managing to win just one of their first 11 league games.

As a result, the decision was taken to part ways with Cocu last November with the Rams in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle in the English second tier.

The off-the-field issues that Cocu would have had to endure as Derby manager are only just starting to come to light with the Rams having now entered into administration under his successor Wayne Rooney.

The Dutchman has yet to return to club management, but after guiding PSV to three league titles in his managerial job there are likely to be some clubs that would offer him another chance to return to management.

 

 

Speaking to broadcaster RTL, Cocu suggested that he remains open to a return to management and he did not rule out the prospect of returning to the Netherlands for his next job. While he also insisted that he enjoyed his time in England despite the way things ended at Derby.

He said: "Clubs are always allowed to call.

"Whether I do it is another matter. If something fits or comes along at the right time, I would certainly be open to it.”

He added: "It is always possible to train another club in the Netherlands, you decide that for yourself.

“I don't feel too big to do anything and I never rule things out. The Netherlands is interesting to look around. I've had two wanderings abroad and that was great fun. Turkey was a bit shorter, but I had a good time in England.

"I'm having a great time, we'll see what happens."

The verdict

Cocu still has something to offer in a managerial capacity you would feel despite things not having ended in the best way at his last two jobs with Derby and Fenerbahce in Turkey.

The Dutchman still has the three league titles that he secured with PSV in his first job on his CV and that is something that will likely still make him an attractive potential option for numerous clubs in Europe and especially in the Netherlands.

At times it did look like he was building something at Derby, but he was not helped by injuries to key players such as Krystian Bielik and also the off-the-field issues around the club would not have helped him build the club.

In the end, the right decision was taken to replace Cocu last season, but that does not mean the Dutchman is a bad manager. It was perhaps just the wrong fit for both parties when the decision was made for him to takeover at Derby.