Steve Bruce wants to be Korea's next manager: Reports

Former Manchester United player Steve Bruce arrives for the funeral of English football icon Bobby Charlton in Manchester, England on Nov. 13, 2023. [AP/YONHAP]

Veteran manager Steve Bruce is reportedly interested in the recently vacated Korean national team head coach position.

According to multiple reports Tuesday, Bruce is interested in taking the helm of the Korean national team that spent a turbulent year under now-axed manager Jurgen Klinsmann.

The reports come after Klinsmann was fired on Feb. 16, ending a one-year spell where he faced criticism for a perceived lack of tactical awareness and failed to win the Asian Cup. Korea exited with a semifinal loss to Jordan on Feb. 6.

Bruce, 63, has managed 12 teams in total since taking the helm of Sheffield United in 1998.

He spent short stints with other English clubs including Huddersfield Town, Wigan Athletic and Crystal Palace, before spending a six-year spell with Birmingham City from 2001 to 2007, during which he led the club to promotion to the Premier League twice.

After resigning from Birmingham in 2007, he went on to coach Wigan for his second spell, before moving on to coach Hull City, Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday in the 2010s.

He took charge of West Bromwich Albion in 2022, but was sacked in October of the same year after a poor start in the 2022-23 Championship. He has not taken a managerial role since then.

During his over 20-year coaching career, he has managed over 1,000 matches.

As a player, he spent the longest stretch of his playing career at Manchester United, where he played as center-back from 1987 to 1996, during which he made 309 appearances for the team.

He then spent his last season as a player in the 1998-99 season with Sheffield, where he was a player-coach.

If he takes the helm of the Korean national team, it will be his first time managing a non-English team and national team.

But whether Bruce will actually be the next Korean national team boss remains to be seen. Multiple reports in Korea have suggested that the KFA is looking to bring in a Korean coach, and Bruce is also reportedly in the running for a Saudi Arabian league management role.

If he does come here, Bruce will immediately have some work to do with the national team, which is set to compete in the AFC second round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers next month against Thailand.

Teams play a home-and-away format series in the qualification, with Korea playing the first game against Thailand on March 21, followed by a second match on March 26.

Korea is leading in Group C with two wins so far.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]