It's official. FC Shakhtar Donetsk have a new head coach

Marino Pušić has been appointed as the new head of FC Shakhtar Donetsk. According to the miners' press service, the contract with the 52-year-old specialist is valid until the end of the 2025/26 season.

Pušić, who holds a Bosnian and Croatian passport, worked for seventeen years at a boarding school for young people with behavioral problems after his football career. Later, Pušić was a coach at the Vitesse/AGOVV football academy and an assistant coach at NAK Breda, Inter Baku and Twente.

In the fall of 2017, he was appointed acting head coach of Twente after the departure of Rene Gacke, but he worked in this position for 10 days. After Gertjan Verbeek's appointment, Pušić returned to the role of assistant. When Verbeek was fired in March 2018, Pusic was again given the acting title. Under his leadership, Twente finished last and dropped out of the Eredivisie.

Despite the setback, the Twente management decided to bet on the Croatian-Bosnian and put him in charge of the team for the 2018/19 season. As a result, Twente became the Erstedivisie champions in the 2018/19 season and returned to the Eredivisie.

Pušić was recognized as the best coach of the 2018/19 season in the Eredivisie, but this did not prevent Twente from terminating his contract.

On May 28, 2019, it was announced that Pušić would become an assistant to head coach Arne Slot in AZ. In 2021, Pušić became Slot's assistant at Feyenoord.

As OBOZ reported, on October 16, 2023, FC Shakhtar Donetsk fired Patrick van Leeuwen. The Dutchman managed to play 12 matches with the Donetsk team, in which he won seven.

After that, Dario Srna became the acting coach. Under his leadership, the Orange and Blacks defeated Luhansk 3-0 in the 11th round of the UPL.

On October 25, Shakhtar will play away to Barcelona in the 3rd round of the League.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!