GUS POYET has been around the block as a player and a manager – and his latest jaunt has taken him to South Korea.
There – at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors – he is joined by his ex-pro footballer son Diego, who has packed on so much muscle he is virtually unrecognisable from his playing days.
And the dad-and-lad duo are making an effective team.
Jeonbuk are on the cusp of their first K League title in four years – sitting 13 points clear with only six games to play.
Poyet took over on Christmas Eve last year and he has made a big impact in the 10 months since.
The Uruguayan became a Premier League legend during a seven-year spell in London with Chelsea and Tottenham.
And the first nine years of his managerial career were also spent in England.
After cutting his teeth on the backroom teams at Swindon, Leeds and Spurs, Poyet earned the top job at Brighton and took them from League One to the Championship play-offs.
A stint at Sunderland followed before the 57-year-old tried his luck in Greece, Spain, China, France and Chile.
Poyet says he’s thankful that son Diego is with him in South Korea to tell it like it is.
Diego – now 30 – played professionally with Charlton, West Ham and others before retiring in 2018 when his career stalled.
The young coach has built a bodybuilder-esque physique since hanging up his boots.
And while he no longer has a footballer body, he has retained his footballer IQ.
Poyet Sr. told the Daily Star: “He’s still thinking as a player, and he will analyse the game like he was playing, and what he was doing.
“So he’s still young, but if I’m honest, he knows what I want, so it’s straightforward. He will never say ‘I don’t know.’
“He will tell me something, even if it’s the opposite of what I think, and that’s good for my way and for my staff. I want that kind of staff with me, people who tell me the truth.”
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