Ronald Koeman has insisted that he is now over the disappointment of his Everton departure as the 54-year-old prepares to take charge of the Netherlands for the first time.
The 55-year-old was sacked by Everton in October following a poor start to the 2017-18 campaign, but the former centre-back is now back in management with the Netherlands, who failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Koeman's first game in charge of the Dutch national team will be against England at the Amsterdam Arena on Friday, and he is looking forward to "a new challenge" after stepping into international management.
"We are here. It is a new challenge. It is one I couldn't say no to," Koeman told the Daily Mail. "It is an honour to be the Holland coach and I am looking forward to trying to get the country moving forward again.
"I want to take us to the next big tournament in 2020. That is the aim. It is a big and difficult challenge. Everybody knows this. We have not qualified for the last two big tournaments and, OK, it is going to take time.
"After Everton, where everyone knew it was really difficult towards the end, I needed time to focus again. I needed to recover. I have had a good time to relax. I work because I want to work.
"Even after that decision (his sacking), I was still crazy about football. I wanted to be involved as a coach, I wanted to be with the national team and this was the right time to try the challenge - for me and the national team."
Koeman won 78 caps for the Netherlands as a player between 1982 and 1994.
Matt Law
