Hiddink could make Premier League return

Posted Thursday, March 14, 2013 by Foxsports.com

Anzhi Makhachkala boss Guus Hiddink is refusing to rule out a return to the Barclays Premier League one day.

The former Chelsea manager will inevitably be linked, along with a series of other big-name managers, with the Stamford Bridge club once again during the coming months with interim manager Rafael Benitez indicating he will be leaving at the end of the season.

However, while coy over his own future just as he was in Moscow last week, the Dutchman insisted he has the energy for another big challenge as he prepared to send his current charges into Europa League battle with Newcastle at St James' Park Thursday night.

Hiddink said: "I don't know because I'm not the youngest anymore, although I feel still very energetic and I love to be on the pitch almost every day with the guys.

"There is energy left, but I never can predict my future because a big part of the future is already behind me.

"I'd like to add a little sentence to that because it does seem in my answer that I'm not having a lot of joy in my current job, which is not true, I love the job which I am doing now.

"Anzhi are coming internationally from a small club. Within one year, the club image has increased a lot, the seriousness within the club and the way we are trying to play has given me also a lot of energy."

Hiddink spent three and a half months in charge at Chelsea in the wake of Luiz Felipe Scolari's exit at the end of the 2008-09 season, and retains a huge fondness for the Barclays Premier League.

Asked if he missed English football, he said: "Of course. I enjoyed very much the Premier League, of course and in my Chelsea time, we played here (at Newcastle) and had a good result here, I remember.

"I enjoyed very much playing here. Overall, the Premier League is what every player likes to do and also the managers and coaches, they like to work in the big leagues, of course.

"I like very much the attitude of the players I had at Chelsea in my time. I liked very much the atmosphere in the stadiums, the public who enjoy very much and respect very much the way of playing."

Hiddink will have a chance to reacquaint himself with the Premier League as Anzhi look to beat the Magpies to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

The sides drew 0-0 in Moscow last week and a score draw will be good enough to oust Alan Pardew's side.

Pardew firmly believes whichever of the two progresses, they will be genuine candidates to win the trophy, but his opposite number believes that is a big ask.

He said: "Well, if you see now the teams who are going into this pyramid to the final on May 15 in Amsterdam, those are big teams, they are all big teams now.

"We are happy to be in the last 16 and it would be a tremendous achievement for us to be in the last eight.

"If you see which teams could be playing in the last eight, that's Champions League level.

"It's difficult and unpredictable to say whether the teams can go all the way. We like to go step by step and not think too much ahead, but if we could make the next step, it would give a lot of prestige.

"Newcastle, I know they have also, from what I have heard, the ambition to play in the final in Amsterdam, so it will be a nice clash tomorrow.
"But I cannot predict the future. If I could, I wouldn't have been a coach."

Meanwhile, Hiddink played down suggestions that Anzhi have attempted to lure £50million misfit Fernando Torres to Russia this summer.

He said: "Officially, I can assure you there is no single approach to any player at this moment."