20 of the Premier League managers when they were professional footballers

It is quite common for footballers to take up a managerial role once they have decided to hang up their boots, and the English Premier League has seen several former players who would go on to become managers, some successful and some not so much.Here are the current 20 Premier League managers who spent their younger days as professional footballers:

#1 West Brom, Newcastle United, Arsenal and Liverpool

Alan Irvine – Everton, Crystal Palace

The West Bromwich Albion manager has played for five different clubs in the United Kingdom over his fifteen year long playing career with stints with Premier League side Everton and Crystal Palace more prominently.

Alan Pardew – Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic

After several failed attempts on the football pitch, the Newcastle United manager eventually found ground at Crystal Palace where he helped the Eagles to a promotion to the first division. His winning goal against Liverpool during a thrilling FA Cup tie which ended in a 4-3 win for his side is still reminisced by the supporters. He had a good stint with Charlton Athletic as well, becoming their top scorer in the 1992-93 season with ten goals.

Arsene Wenger – Mulhouse and Strasbourg

The Arsenal manager had showed early glimpses of his managerial skills at the age of 16 when his side FC Duttlenheim didn’t have a manager to guide them. A former teammate of his, Claude Wenger revealed, "Arsène wasn't the captain and yet he was. It was 'You do this, you do that, you do this you do that.” However upon seeing that he didn’t have the skills to make it to the larger picture, Wenger decided it was the tactical side of the game where he could flourish.

Brendan Rodgers – Ballymena United and Reading

The Liverpool manager begun his career as a central defender but owing to a genetic knee condition, he was forced to retire at the young age of 20 when he was at Reading. However, this didn’t stop him from being part of the game as he assumed the role of a coach at Reading before leaving for Chelsea to become a youth manager there after being called-up by Jose Mourinho in 2004.

#2 Swansea, Sunderland, QPR and Chelsea

Garry Monk – Southampton and Swansea

The current Swansea manager was already a big name in the club before he was appointed as interim-manager following the sacking of Michael Laudrup. Before hanging up his boots as a footballer, Monk led Swansea to several achievements and made over 200 apperances for the Whites.

Gus Poyet – River Plate, Real Zaragoza, Chelsea, Tottenham Spurs

The Sunderland manager had spells at Grenoble and River Plate before moving to Real Zaragoza where he played for seven years, winning a Copa del Rey and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup trophy there. He was also part of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspurs, playing out the remainder of his career in the Premier League.

Harry Redknapp – West Ham United and Bournemouth

The Queens Park Rangers manager was first spotted by Tottenham scout at the age of 11, but it was West Ham United were he made his mark as a professional footballer where he played as a midfielder.

Jose Mourinho – Rio Ave and Sesimbra

The Chelsea boss’s wish to be a professional footballer just like his father failed when he realized that he lacked what it would take for him to be a professional footballer. He had joined the Belenenses youth team before moving to Rio Ave, Belenenses, and Sesimbra.

#3 Manchester United, Manchester City, Stoke City and Tottenham

Louis van Gaal – Sparta Rotterdam and Royal Antwerp

The Manchester United manager was part of the Ajax setup but had never made a first team appearance for the Dutch side, and was ultimately loaned to Belgian side Royal Antwerp where he played the majortiy of his football. However, it was the Netherlands were he had ended his career at AZ Alkmaar

Manuel Pellegrini – Universidad de Chile

The Manchester CIty manager started his career off as a defender, playing for Universidad de Chile where he would go onto spend the rest of his career, making 451 apperances for the club. He has also made 28 appearances for Chile.

Mark Hughes – Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has played for some of the biggest clubs in Europe, with spells at Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Chelsea, and has bagged two Premier League title, four FA Cups, three League Cups and two European Cup Winners' Cups in his playing career. He was also the first player to win the PFA Players' Player of the Year award on two occassions.

Mauricio Pochettino – Espanyol and Paris Saint-Germain

Tottenham Hotspurs manager has played for Espanyol more the most part of his career before moving onto France where he represented Paris Saint-Germain and Bordeaux followed by a move back to Argentina where he returned to his boyhood club Newell's Old Boys. On the international level, he has represented Argentina at the 2002 World Cup and the 1999 Copa América.

#4 Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Aston Villa and Everton

Neil Warnock – Chesterfield, Scunthorpe United and Barnsley

The Crystal Palace manager retired at the young age of 30 to move into coaching, but the former winger had spells with Chesterfield, Rotherham United, Hartlepool United, Scunthorpe United, Aldershot, Barnsley, York City and Crewe Alexandra before finally pulling up his boots in 1979.

Nigel Pearson – Shrewsbury Town, Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough

The Leicester City manager started his professional career at Shewsbury Town before moving onto Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough where he won the Football League Cup and FA Cup as a player.

Paul Lambert – St. Mirren, Borussia Dortmund and Celtic

The Aston Villa manager has won several medals during his playing career with titles such as the Scottish Cup, UEFA Champions League and the Scottish Premier League in his bag.

Roberto Martinez – Real Zarazgoza, Wigan Athletic and Swansea

The Everton manager started his career in Spain at Real Zaragoza as a defensive midfielder where he had won the Copa del Rey. It was Wigan Athletic where Martinez had his first association with the Premier League, before moving onto to Swansea where he became the club captain and led the team to a promotion to League One in 2005.

#5 Southampton, West Ham United, Burnley and Hull City

Ronald Koeman – Ajax, PSV and Barcelona

The Southampton manager is hailed as one of the best central defenders of all time, and was part of the star-studded Dutch team who won the Euro 1988. Speaking of being part, he was also one of the stars in Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team' where he helped Barcelona win the La Liga four yaers in a row. His trophy cabinet also boasts of four Eredivisie titles, two European cups.

Sam Allardyce – Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End

The West Ham manager boasted a glorious moustache back in the day when he was still a young player making over 400 appearances for Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland, Millwall, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Coventry City, Huddersfield Town, Preston North End, West Bromwich Albion and Limerick before moving onto management.

Sean Dyche – Chesterfield, Millwall and Watford

The Burnley manager made his professional debut in 1990 as a centre-back while playing for Chesterfield despite being a youth-team player at Nottingham Forest. He then went onto make appearances for Bristol City, Luton Town, Millwall, Watford and Northampton Town before retiring in 2007.

Steve Bruce – Gillingham, Norwich City and Manchester United

The Hull City manager’s move to Manchester United proved to be big upgrade for his career after playing around 250 appearances for Gillingham and Norwich City. Bruce won the Premier League, FA Cup, Football League Cup and European Cup Winner's Cup with the Reds. Despite being hailed was one of the best players in England, he has never represented them in the international level.