Haan throws his hat into ring for Hearts post

EWAN MURRAY

ARIE Haan last night became the latest manager to express an interest in the vacant position at Hearts.

Haan, whose last job was as national coach of China, is in negotiations with Hungary with a view to replacing Lothar Matthaeus as their manager.

However, with Hungary having failed to qualify for next summer's World Cup in Germany, the Dutchman is keen to have an opportunity to manage a club side and is actively seeking talks with Hearts' majority shareholder, Vladimir Romanov.

Romanov is heading the Tynecastle club's search for a new manager after the surprise departure of chief executive Phil Anderton on Monday. Caretaker manager John McGlynn will continue in charge of team affairs for tomorrow's meeting with Dundee United, for which Edgaras Jankauskas is suspended, but Hearts hope to have a new man in place before their visit to Pittodrie on 20 November.

It appears increasingly likely the new man at the helm will be a foreigner, but former Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, who has also been linked with Rangers, appeared to rule himself out of the running yesterday by declaring he wants an extended exile from football.

Haan is best remembered for his 40-yard goal for Holland against Italy in the 1978 World Cup, and achieved a total of 35 caps for his country. His coaching career has taken him across the globe, as he has been in charge of Austria Vienna, PAOK Salonika and Egyptian side Al-Ahly. However, it is the prospect of coaching in Britain which best appeals to the former Ajax midfielder, who will look to make contact with Romanov to express his interest in person before the start of next week

Taken from the Scotsman