Louis van Gaal has opened the door to returning to management with Portugal, less than a fortnight after leaving his job with the Netherlands.
The Dutchman returned for a third spell in charge of his country's national team following Euro 2020. He led them to the quarter-finals of this year's World Cup, where they were knocked out by Argentina, who went on to win the tournament.
Van Gaal left his role upon that defeat, with Ronald Koeman having been announced as his replacement before the tournament. He will now return to retirement, having spent five years out of the game before taking the Netherlands job.
But he has also admitted that he could once again return to management, if Portugal come calling. They sacked Fernando Santos after their own quarter-final exit, with Van Gaal now opening the door to replacing him, having also been linked with the Belgium job.
"I'm retired again. But when they call, I listen. I didn't flirt with that [Belgium], and I didn't flirt with Portugal either. I received questions about Belgium and then I have to answer," Van Gaal told 3FM.
After seeing his side lose on penalties to Argentina, Van Gaal gave no hint as to his future plans. But he did insist that he remains a top-level coach, having not lost a single game in normal time.
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“First and foremost I will not be continuing as a head coach for the Dutch team because I only did it for this period of time. This was my very last match. My third term as a head coach," Van Gaal said.
"In that time I coached 20 matches but I didn’t lose a single one. I think it is Google you can look that up on. I am looking back on a fantastic period of time with a great group of players.
“I don’t think I’ve been beaten today, only in a penalty shoutout. I had a wonderful time and yes it is incredibly painful to see how we have been eliminated. Particularly as because I did everything to prevent this from happening.”
Jose Mourinho is understood to be one of the Portuguese FA's top targets for the job, though it is unlikely he will leave Roma before the end of the season. In announcing Santos' exit, they gave no hint as to the timeline of their search for a new boss.
"The Portuguese Football Federation and Fernando Santos agreed to end the highly successful journey that began in September 2014. FPF and Fernando Santos understand that this is the right moment to start a new cycle," a statement read.
"With Fernando Santos at the head of the National Team, our country won two international competitions for the first time: the unforgettable Euro 2016, in France, and the League of Nations, in 2019.
"The FPF thanks Fernando Santos and his technical team for the services provided over eight unique years and believes that this thanks is also made on behalf of the Portuguese people. The FPF Board will now begin the process of choosing the next national coach."
