Saudi Arabia boss was once sacked by Cambridge – who wanted Dion Dublin instead

Saudi Arabia are being led into the World Cup by a manager who was previously sacked by Cambridge United – who wanted Dion Dublin instead.

The Middle Eastern country take on Argentina in their World Cup opener on Tuesday, with Herve Renard at the helm. But before gracing the world's biggest football stage in Qatar, Renard was once dishing out managerial orders at English minnows Cambridge.

The Frenchman arrived at the League Two side as an assistant to mentor Claude LeRoy in 2004, after the pair's short stint at Chinese out Shanghai Cosco the previous year. But Renard was hoisted in the main role when LeRoy departed as manager after just a few games.

ALSO READ: Saudi Arabia boss was once sacked by Cambridge United – who wanted Dion Dublin instead

However, after losing 14 of the 26 games he was in charge, winning just five, and drawing seven, it was time for Renard to leave the hotseat too. Cambridge gave him the boot in December 2004, stating that: "It was very amicable and it is something we didn't want to do.

"But we have not got time for Renard's philosophy to flow through to our team, given where we are in the league." And the club thought former star Dion Dublin would be the ideal replacement for Renard.

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Dublin began his career at Cambridge in 1988, helping them rise from the fourth division to the second tier, and into a FA Cup quarter-final, with his 52 goals in 156 games before leaving in 1991.

The former striker went onto have great success in the Premier League during spells for Manchester United, Coventry City, Aston Villa, until hanging up his boots in 2008 following a stint with Norwich.

And although Cambridge were unsuccessful in their attempt to lure him into management, the pundit did become a director at his boyhood side last year. Meanwhile, Renard went onto have managerial stints with African nations Zambia and the Ivory Coast, Ligue 1 side Lille, Morocco, who he failed to get out of the group stages in the 2018 World Cup, before joining Saudi Arabia in 2019.

Under Renard's tutelage, the Green Falcons have jumped from 70 to 51 in the world rankings, which has led the country's governing body to hand him a contract until 2027. But his methods will be heavily tested during the Qatar World Cup where Argentina, Poland and Mexico await in the group stages.

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