Steve McClaren back in football after joining Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv as coaching assistant
Former England boss teams up with Jordi Cruyff, the Dutchman he used to coach at Man United in the nineties
STEVE McCLAREN is back in football as a coaching consultant at Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The former England boss, 56, has been looking for work since being sacked by Derby for the second time in March.
His immediate boss in Israel will be Jordi Cruyff, the player McClaren coached as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant from 1999 to 2001.
"I have huge respect for such a well-known club, both in Israel and in Europe," said McClaren.
"I intend to help Jordi and the players achieve success for the fans this season."
Maccabi Tel Aviv finished second in the Israeli Premier League last season but lost the opening game of this campaign 3-0 at home to Beitar Jerusalem on Sunday.
Former Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United boss McClaren was on a shortlist of candidates to replace Ian Cathro as head coach of Scottish side Hearts before being declared out of the running.
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He has struggled to make a real impression at home since his 18-month spell in charge of England ended when he was sacked following his failure to qualify for Euro 2008.
McClaren is no stranger to working abroad and won the Eredivisie with FC Twente in 2009/10.
He was ridiculed for adopting a false Dutch accent while other spells at Wolfsburg in Germany and then FC Twente again were less successful.
But Maccabi Tel Aviv owner Mitch Goldhar is certainly happy to have him on board.
"Steve McClaren has a wealth of knowledge and is vastly experienced at the highest levels of European football," he said.
"We are delighted to add a person of his calibre to our staff on a coaching consultant role."