Former Scotland and Hearts coach appointed assistant manager of top 10 world ranked nation.
A former Scotland coach has accepted a new international position less than five months after leaving Steve Clarke’s backroom squad.
Austin MacPhee resigned as Scotland’s set piece coach in September of last year, citing a combination of family sickness and Aston Villa obligations.
MacPhee has been Villa Park’s set-piece coach since Dean Smith appointed him in 2021. He has continued to work under Steven Gerrard and current boss Unai Emery.
The 45-year-old former Hearts interim manager has been associated with the Scotland squad since shortly after Euro 2020, when Clarke approached him. In addition to his Villa duties, MacPhee was working for Northern Ireland at the time, having been appointed by Michael O’Neill.
MacPhee was an important part of Scotland’s coaching staff at a period when the national team qualified for Euro 2024 with two games to spare and achieved promotion to League A of the Nations League for the first time.
The Fifer has recently accepted a new post as Portugal’s assistant coach, working under head coach Roberto Martinez, which he will combine with his present duties at Villa. He has been hired to replace Anthony Barry, who just joined England as Thomas Tuchel’s assistant.
The Portuguese Football Federation has stated that MacPhee would continue to work for Villa, only joining Martinez’s national squad during international breaks. He begins his duties when Portugal faces Denmark in the Nations League quarter-finals next month, and he may face Scotland in World Cup qualifying, with the loser joining Clarke’s team in Group C alongside Greece and Belarus.
Portugal is presently rated sixth in the FIFA global rankings.
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