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David Healy praises Irish FA as another coaching graduate continues meteoric rise to the top
David Healy says the Irish FA deserve some praise as another graduate from one of their coaching courses continues his rise to the top of the game. Over the last decade the likes of Emma Hayes, Eddie Howe, Gaizka Mendieta, Benni McCarthy, Harry Kewell and Gareth McAuley have all done their badges in Northern Ireland.
Now another alumni from the Belfast-based courses, Ruben Amorim, has landed one of the top jobs in world football at Manchester United after impressing as a coach at Braga and Sporting after successfully securing his diploma with the IFA.
Healy, who has also come through the sessions in the province, believes the IFA and Nigel Best deserve a lot of credit for helping to launch the coaching careers of so many of today's top managers.
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"Sometimes people are unwilling to give the IFA a little bit of kudos, but I think one thing that they have done well over the years is run good courses and have good people on them," said the Linfield boss. "All the top coaches, Amorim, Gary O'Neil (Wolves), Eddie Howe (Newcastle), Jason Tindall (Newcastle coach), they've all been over to do their coaching badges in Belfast.
"As I say all the top coaches like myself, David Jeffrey, Stephen Baxter and everybody else have been topped up by the brilliant Nigel Best. I must say that, even though he's retired, to give him his dues he was an exceptional tutor in many different ways."
Healy, who came through the ranks at Old Trafford as a young player, is hoping Amorim can turn the fortunes of his boyhood club around. "Amorim was mooted and talked about as potentially going into Tottenham or West Ham, so he was already linked with Premier League clubs," said Healy.
"Sporting have been incredible over these last few years, they've enjoyed great success. I saw bits and pieces of the Everton game, and I watched the game against Ipswich Town, and United are probably unrecognisable from the club they were ten, fifteen, twenty years ago.
"It's been so long since they've had league success. They've won cup competitions but I think the new manager coming in will add spice to a dressing room that probably needs...some say a little bit of a lift, it probably needs a boot up the backside.
"It was interesting to see the work rate against Everton, to win the ball back and I think that's something he's going to add to it. If you're not going to work hard, if you're not going to do the hard yards, you probably won't play in his United team."
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