The new manager of Sportvereniging Red Star Aalst is Modraed Engham. Engham served as the team's first team coach last season under departing manager Alco Moreau. At only 29 years old, he becomes the youngest manager in the history of the Belgian Premier League. He had been a player for the club before suffering a career ending ankle injury at only 19 years of age, and then rejoined Aalst two years later in a minor coaching role, and now becomes the 3rd ever manager of Red Star Aalst.
Engham was a surprising choice to many given his youth and lack of managerial experience, but at this introductory press conference, club president Simon Henri-Lebrun explained the decision. "The biggest driver to wanting him was continuity in our organization" said Lebrun. "Modraed has been working at Aalst diligently for years and has gained a reputation among the players and other staff as someone who has been easy to work with and is incredibly knowledgeable about the game. He gets along well with the people here and has been helping players develop while in his various roles. He is the type of person that we do not wish to lose to another team, and we feel that the time was now to give him this chance."
When asked if he felt lucky to be able to be in this new role, Engham was adamant that good fortune had little to do with it. "I'm thankful to have this job certainly, and thankful at the opportunities that I have received in Aalst, but it doesn't feel like luck. After my injury, I decided fairly quickly that I wasn't done with football and wanted to find a career in this sport. I have poured my heart into coaching and have grown under the tutelage of some excellent coaches. I do feel like I have seized upon a moment here, and I intend to push forward in this new role, helping the players here seize the opportunities that they have."
Expectations will be high going into next season, and the hope will be that Red Star can grow into a title contender in the coming years. They are betting on their new manager being a key component of that.