After a long wait following his departure from Southampton, Ralph Hasenhüttl finally found the job he was waiting for, taking over at VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.
He takes over from Niko Kovac with the club 14th in the table but six point clear from the relegation playoff spot, leaving him a buffer to work with.
His patience was rewarded, but that doesn’t mean the last two years have been easy for the former Southampton manager, as he explained in his presentation, relayed by Bild.
It appears working for the Saints and the way he departed had taken some of the joy out of football for the Austrian, but that is now back.
He said: “The interest in football is growing again and won’t let you go. After Southampton, I didn’t think it would come back, but when you’ve worked as a manager for so long, you have to put that knowledge back on the pitch. It’s not that I was bored at home, but I’m longing to use my knowledge as a manager again.”
The now 56-year-old was in charge of Southampton for close to four years, taking over in December of 2018 to then leave in November of 2022, having taken charge of 173 matches during his tenure.
Of those, he won 60, drew 38 and lost the remaining 75, overseeing his teams score 241 goals and concede 291.
