ZENDEN RETURNS

New interim first-team manager Rafael Benitez has confirmed he will be adding former Chelsea player Boudewijn Zenden to the backroom staff.

He will also be bringing in two people who were with him at Liverpool to work alongside existing staff at Cobham – Paco De Miguel, a fitness coach, and Xavi Valero who will perform an analysis role.

Zenden was player at Chelsea between 2001 and 2004. The pacy Dutch international winger was signed by Claudio Ranieri from Barcelona and was part of a fresh midfield with Frank Lampard and Emmanuel Petit also arriving that summer, an old guard of Dennis Wise and Gustavo Poyet having departed.

On his debut he scored the opening goal of Chelsea’s season, against Newcastle, one of four strikes for the Blues which included a fine half-volley in a home match against Manchester United.

He played in the 2002 FA Cup final which was lost to Arsenal and appeared in 59 matches for the club, starting 30, but spent his third year on loan at Middlesbrough during which he scored in the Carling Cup final, helping that club to win its first silverware.

Zenden joined Middlesbrough permanently of a free transfer for the 2004/05 season and then moved to Liverpool the year after with Benitez his manager for two seasons. It was a spell hit by injury but he played in the 2007 Champions League final.

Having started his career in his home country with PSV Eindhoven before winning a league title in Spain, he ended it with spells at Marseille and then back in England at Sunderland.

He represented the Netherlands 54 times and played in the semi-final of Euro 2000.

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