10 Premier League footballers destined to become managers | OneFootball

Life after football is a conundrum that every Premier League player will face one day. Do they take the money and disappear off into the sunset, do they spend their evenings and weekends sat in punditry booths criticising the team-mates and managers they used to rub shoulders with, or do they stay within the game itself and use everything they learned on the pitch to start barking orders from the touchline?

Football management is not an easy business. A results-driven injury, even when you're doing all the right things there are no guarantees over job security. The buck only stops in with one person when it comes to points on the board, or lack of, so poor luck in a few too many games could quickly consequence in unemployment, regardless of prior accomplishments.

Therefore, it's difficult to predict which players will have the genuine hunger needed to survive, let alone thrive, in modern management, and a quick glance through former Premier League winning managers will show you that gaffers indeed come in all shapes and sizes. Some, like Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti, were elite-level footballers before turning their hands to management. Others, like Jurgen Klopp, Manuel Pellegrini and Sir Alex Ferguson, really didn't make too much of a mark as footballers. And a few, namely Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger, barely had a playing career at all.

Nonetheless, there are a handful of key characteristics that simple rationale suggests most future managers will already possess in some form: leadership qualities, tactical knowledge, an elite mentality and a track record of success. So when combining those with any indications of a desire to at least test themselves on the touchline one day, we take a look at 10 current Premier League stars seemingly destined to become future gaffers.

Virgil van Dijk

Physical stature is by no means a pre-requisite to being a top-level manager but having an imposing demeanor certainly goes a long way in keeping the dressing room under control. When combining Virgil van Dijk's indisputable track record for winning silverware with the simple fact that anybody who measures in at 6 foot 4 or less would find themselves naturally overshadowed by the towering Dutchman, even the most egotistical superstar would think twice before deviating from his touchline instructions.

A calmness that juxtaposes his intimidating physique, a penchant for silky build-up play, and experience away from the absolute top-end of the beautiful game from spells with Groningen and Celtic, giving him a more realistic view of players with limited ability, all strengthen the notion of the Liverpool defender becoming an elite coach. Due to turn 33 in July 2024, we might not be too far off that becoming a reality.

Kevin De Bruyne

It's often the case that the most gifted footballers struggle as managers, because they can't emphasize with the simple fact that those working under them aren't capable of meeting their own standards. But KDB clearly has his sights set on management and was awarded his UEFA A coaching license in summer 2022, just a short time after Manchester City had won the Premier League title.

Playing under Pep Guardiola is just about the best footballing education any player can receive and no doubt De Bruyne will pass on the Spaniard's ethos and practices one he's in the dugout himself. But it shouldn't be forgotten that the Belgian has a great tactical mind in his own right - just look at the positions he takes up and his movement off the ball in any given game. Unfortunately beginning to consistently struggle with injuries now that he's into his 30s, KDB is another who could well start his transition into management within the next few years.

James Milner

Mr. Football. Deeply respected throughout English football and widely regarded as the most consummate professional in Premier League history, James Milner will surely put his virtually unrivaled experience in the competition to use as a manager once he eventually decides to hang up his boots. After all, what's the point in playing over 600 Premier League fixtures and representing numerous major English clubs if you're not going to impart that wisdom onto the next generation?

Throw in the fact Milner has played in just about every position on the pitch, won just about every trophy going, and worked under an ensemble cast of standout managers with hugely varying styles - namely Jurgen Klopp, Roberto Mancini, Martin O'Neill, Manuel Pellegrini, Brendan Rodgers, Sam Allardyce, Terry Venables, Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson - and his first-hand knowledge of both tactical and man-management practices will be uniquely well-rounded.

So dedicated to the sport that he's defying biological science to play well into his late thirties and blessed with an unrivalled wealth of personal experience to call upon, the Brighton veteran seems to have both the natural love and knowledge of football needed to persevere in the world of management.

James Tarkowski

Somebody has to carry the torch for Dyche-ball and as arguably the biggest benefactor of a meat-and-potatoes philosophy that made the Everton boss a legend at Burnley and kept the Toffees just about afloat in the Premier League, it may well be down to James Tarkowski to teach the ways of the attritional 4-4-2 in future decades. Nonetheless, Tarkowski has management credentials in his own right: a journey from League One with Oldham to twice representing England shows his natural dedication and determination, while operating as Everton's matchday captain this season highlights his leadership qualities.

Whether Tarkowski's expected tactical tastes (based on the perhaps unfair assumption that he would look no further than Dyche's playbook in implementing his own philosophy) would be welcomed at the elite level of the game remains a separate debate. But it's not hard to imagine the Toffees defender one day saving a plucky, smaller club from relegation despair by putting 10 men behind the ball at all times and scoring scrappy goals at corners.

Thiago Silva

The legendary defender discussed becoming a coach in English football way back in 2021 and had begun his coaching badges a year prior. The only thing that seems to be stopping Silva from taking a management job is the fact he's still playing regular football at the very top level, incredibly at the age of 39, which in itself is testament to the fact he would probably make a pretty incredible tactician. Indeed, Silva's legs abandoned him years ago, but mentally he's still one of the sharpest players on the pitch and that world-class ability to position and anticipate has allowed him to remain a key part of Chelsea's starting XI.

No stranger to the captain's armband, a Champions League winner, and a former student of some truly elite managers in Felipe Scolari, Carlo Ancelotti, Massimo Allegri and Thomas Tuchel, Silva has the footballing brain, leadership, experience and track record of success to thrive in the dugout.

Rodri

Let's face it, Pep Guardiola likes making mini-Pep Guardiola's and has already produced one in Mikel Arteta, who now represents arguably his biggest competition when it comes to the Premier League title. Just like Guardiola, Arteta was a deep-lying Spanish midfielder of technical quality. And just like Guardiola, Arteta has built his management style around attacking football, innovative tactics and suffering absolutely no fools when it comes to squad discipline.

By that logic, the next Guardiola replica on the conveyor-belt is Manchester City's midfield lynchpin, Rodri. Like Guardiola, he's a deep-lying Spanish midfielder of technical quality, and while Arteta played as Guardiola's midfield understudy at Barcelona, Rodri now plays under Pep at City. Considering the overlap between the Barcelona and City philosophies and the fact they operate in the same area of the pitch, you have to wonder whether Rodri will be left with the same view of the game as Pep when his playing years wind down.

A knack for scoring crucial goals - most notably a winner in the Champions League final - also suggests a determination to succeed that's crucial in the results-driven world of football management.

It may seem like a slightly out-there suggestion, but you don't get to the age of 38 and still play regular Premier League football without a natural love for the game, leadership qualities and the tactical savviness to compensate for declining athletic ability. Ashley Young is one such example, and it shouldn't be forgotten that he's won domestic titles with two of the biggest clubs in the world - not just Manchester United but also Inter Milan, where he spent 18 months before a second stint at Aston Villa.

Now a full-back after starting his career as a striker at Watford, there isn't much Young hasn't done or seen in football throughout his playing career, during which he's worked under some massive, massive names in Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Louis van Gaal, Unai Emery, Gerrard Houllier, Martin O'Neill and Fabio Capello. Surely at least one of those has inspired Young to give management a try.

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Any player who can transition from a No.10 to a left-back and then master the intrinsically complex inverted full-back role obviously possesses some natural tactical nous and having played under both Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta, Oleksandr Zinchenko's education has been at the absolute forefront of modern football. That suggests he's got plenty to offer the next generation and the Ukrainian seems to think so having received his Category B coaching diploma back in December 2022.

Zinchenko's leadership qualities and ability to make a philosophy a reality have already been evident during his time at Arsenal, playing a key role both on the pitch and in the dressing room in his first season to help transform the Gunners from perennial also-rans to genuine title contenders. Also bearing in mind he's won every domestic trophy in English football and the 57-cap international has an unassuming yet impressive aura that will no doubt serve him well as a head coach.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

It's hard to imagine any footballer who's played under Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola not being inspired to give management a try. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is one of the few to belong to that unique club and showed his ability to lead a group of players during his time at Southampton, wearing the captain's armband for the best part of two seasons before moving onto Tottenham.

Tactical awareness is crucial to Hojbjerg's role in the team as the anchor man in midfield and the aforementioned Special One has already tipped him for a life in coaching once the Dane's playing days come to an end, remarking his game intelligence and knack for being a 'pain' in training with persistent questions to try and further develop his understanding of the beautiful game.

The classic example of a 'Parched' - to paraphrase Peter Crouch - Hojbjerg seems destined for future stints in the dugout.

Casemiro

Captain of the Brazilian national team, Casemiro is already a leader among his peers. But far from simply rousing the troops and keeping team-mates in check, the Manchester United midfielder has a reputation for understanding the finer details of the game too. It was reported in 2023 that Casemiro turns up to games armed with statistics and facts about the opposition and even has a personal Wyscout account to conduct his own analysis, a prime example being a pattern he spotted in Kylian Mbappe's play, which he exploited in a Champions League game against PSG.

He's a football obsessive who watches at least one game a day and has already been hailed as a future manager by Carlo Ancelotti, which brings us onto the next aspect of Casemiro's credentials - the fact he won an incredible five Champions League titles at Real Madrid, playing a particularly pivotal role in four of those as the anchor behind Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in midfield.

It's often the least naturally talented footballers (in this case only comparative to the rest of an incredible Real Madrid team) that make the best managers, because they rely on their mentality and intelligence rather than their ability with the ball. Casemiro was the unsung workman of that Blancos side, never a yard out of position, always making the right decisions and willing to let others flourish at the expense of his own game. That mindset will no doubt set him up perfectly in trying to become a top manager.