Solano | Pakistan

KARACHI: Newcastle United cult hero Nolberto Solano landed in Pakistan on Saturday, being garlanded upon his arrival at the Pakistan Football Federation headquarters in Lahore after taking over as the head coach of the national senior and under-23 teams. The Peruvian wing wizard dazzled during his time in the English Premier League but the highlight of his coaching career came back in 2018 when, as assistant coach, he took his home country to their first World Cup finals in 36 years. “We need to work really had to make Pakistan competitive at international level,” Solano said in an in-house PFF interview. “My ambition is like everyone in the federation. We want to have a solid foundation and build a competitive league that allows the talent in the country the opportunity to play.” Solano stressed he wanted to build a solid team that would play attacking football “to win games”. His first assignment comes next month when Pakistan face hosts Cambodia, Iraq and Oman in Group ‘G’ in the qualifiers for the 2026 AF...

KARACHI: Nolberto Solano’s last managerial job might have not gone too well but the Newcastle United legend will look to turn a page on that when he takes over as the head coach of Pakistan’s senior and under-23 teams next month. Solano is the first major appointment by the freshly-elected Pakistan Football Federation leadership with president Mohsen Gilani telling Dawn on Monday that he expected the former Peru winger to help the national team reach new heights. “He will bring more zest and energy to the national team … especially in our style of play,” Mohsen added, noting Solano’s experience as the assistant coach of the Peruvian national team. During his seven-year stint as assistant to Ricardo Gareca, Solano helped his country qualify for their first FIFA World Cup appearance in 36 years as Peru made it to the 2018 tournament in Russia. Solano, who also helmed the under-23 side, stayed till 2022, leaving after Peru fell to Australia in an intercontinental playoff for the World Cup that year in Qatar. Sin...