STEVE McClaren will have no problem adapting to the style of football played in Holland, according to the Dutch midfielder he managed at Middlesbrough.
McClaren yesterday made his return to the game by agreeing a two-year deal to coach Eredivisie side FC Twente, seven months after being sacked by England following his failure to lead them to Euro 2008.
FC Twente will be the 47-year-old's first fo
ray into managing a foreign club but Boro's ex-Holland midfielder George Boateng believes McClaren possesses a coaching style that will go down well in his homeland.
Boateng said on Sky Sports News: "I remember once when I went to the national team and came back and I said to Steve: 'We're trying the same (things] with the national team as we do at Middlesbrough.
"He said: 'What do you expect? We're training these guys to cope with international football'.
The Boro midfielder added: "It's different to the English game. The pace is not 90mph, it's more possession play but McClaren will find it quite easy to adapt to Dutch football."
Boateng, who McClaren signed for the Teessiders almost six years ago, claims his former boss got the best out of him and should be applauded for helping the club enjoy an unprecedented level of success.
"He's a very good manager," Boateng said.
"When I worked with him at Middlesbrough, the way he managed the players, he brought the best out of us.
"If you look at his record at Middlesbrough, I think it is quite impressive.
"They never won anything and under Steve McClaren we did win something (the 2004 League Cup] and we qualified for the UEFA Cup final."
FC Twente are relative unknowns outside of Holland but McClaren will inherit a side in the Champions League next season.
The Enschede outfit finished fourth in Eredivisie last term but beat Amsterdam giants Ajax in a play-off to claim a spot in the third qualifying round of Europe's premier club competition.
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