Everton boss Roberto Martinez has revealed that a spell in Scotland as a player helped him shape his career in management
The 40-year-old made 16 appearances for Motherwell during the 2001-02 season before taking the job at Swansea City a few years later.
Although not all positive, the Spaniard admits that the experience of football in Scotland had a big influence on him as a coach and manager.
"Motherwell was a very good experience because it wasn't a good experience. It became something different," Martinez is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News. "I became a stronger person. In football terms it wasn't a successful story and that is probably where I understood many other areas that unless you go through you will never understand what certain players go through.
"As a manager, it has helped me immensely. Being able to understand a dressing room undergoing administration was at the time very hurtful but now it has made me the manager I am now. I fell in love with the Scottish game and the institutions in football clubs which bring incredible memories of European football.
"As a whole, I really enjoyed Scottish football. It wasn't a success from a personal point of view at the time but it has become one of the biggest footballing lessons in my development as a manager."
Martinez impressed in his first season in charge at Everton, leading the Merseyside club to a fifth-placed finish.
Sam Hughes
