Mark van Bommel is on the verge of becoming the new Belgium head coach, but he will also need a backroom team around him. According to Het Nieuwsblad, Maarten Martens is set to become one of his assistants, along with Boudewijn Zenden.
Martens, 42, has been out of work since AZ sacked him in January. A run of disappointing results cost him his job. That spell may soon be over if he joins Van Bommel's staff.
Despite being a head coach in his own right, and still in the frame for Anderlecht earlier this year, Martens now looks set to continue his career as an assistant with the Belgian national team. He won nine caps for the Red Devils as a player, although the last of them came in 2010. That means he just missed out on Belgium's 'Golden Generation'.
Het Nieuwsblad also expect the staff to be made up mainly of Dutchmen. Zenden is one of the names now being strongly linked. The 54-cap Netherlands international previously worked at, among others, PSV, when Van Bommel was head coach there.
One major advantage of adding Zenden to the backroom staff is that he still speaks a decent amount of French from his spell at Olympique Marseille. Van Bommel does not yet have that ability, although he is willing to brush up his French considerably in order to become head coach.
Meanwhile, Van Bommel's appointment appears likely to be officially announced in the coming days. A contract until 2028 is ready for the 49-year-old coach, with Belgium aiming to make a big impression at the European Championship in it.
His son Ruben van Bommel has already hinted that he no longer expects any problems. "When will this be broadcast?" he said with a laugh to the camera of ESPN. "It should be finalised. And if not, you'll just have to cut this out."