Ex-Newcastle and West Ham star now international boss months after non-league sacking

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Newcastle United and West Ham are set to clash in the Premier League . And an unexpected national team coach may be keenly watching his former clubs face-off.

Nolberto Solano , who had stints with both the Magpies and the Hammers during the late 90s and early 2000s, spent a year in London and two spells on Tyneside. The right-midfielder made a whopping 315 appearances for Newcastle , netting 48 goals and providing 78 assists.

The now-50-year-old was named Player of the Year during his time with the Magpies and later moved to West Ham for a year, where he made 23 appearances and scored four goals. Post-retirement, Solano ventured into management, taking some intriguing career turns along the way.

After hanging up his boots, he spent time managing in his native Peru and Canada, and even served as assistant coach for the Peruvian national team in 2015. In May 2024, he returned to the north east to take the reins at non-league side Blyth Spartans .

However, his tenure was short-lived due to a winless start to the Northern Premier League campaign, and the ex-Magpie was shown the door at the end of August last year. Despite a disappointing end to his stint back in England, Solano has since returned to coaching and recently took over as head coach for the Pakistan national team.

Speaking to The Guardian , the new manager expressed his determination to make a success of his role in Pakistan by helping them qualify for their first-ever Asian Cup. Solano said: "My first step is that we have to be competitive and not [have] everybody thinking about playing against Pakistan: 'Three points in the pocket.'

"No! We will try to be very competitive. We have to face every challenge in front of us. We have these couple of games – we're working really hard to get Pakistan qualified for the Asian Cup. That will be fantastic for everyone."

He's keen to implement attacking football but remains grounded about what's achievable. Solano added: "I would like to play like Klopp, I like Guardiola's style, but you need to be realistic.

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"My philosophy is trying to build a very good team, very good team spirit. That's very important to survive, especially when you play in the high level.

"We want to work really hard and with all the issues we have got we have to be together. No excuses, Pakistan this, Pakistan that."

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