Composed Lopetegul always has his eyes on the future

High-profile dumpings hurt but boss will want to prove a point

- Malik Ouzia

FOR ALL the success of his time in Seville, and even for the fine job performed on these shores in steering Wolves to safety, mention Julen Lopetegui's name and the mind immediately leaps to those five miserable months in the middle of 2018.

Destined to lead his country into a World Cup for which Spain were among the favourites at the start of the summer, by Halloween he had lost the two biggest jobs in Spanish football, ousted on the eve of the tournament for agreeing terms with Real Madrid, then victim of the Bernabeu hierarchy's ruthless streak within 138 days.

In a recent interview with ESPN, Lopetegui gave a series of expansive, eloquent answers on the pressures of management, his coaching philosophy and what it is liked to be first courted and then sacked. At first mention of the specifics of his Spain exit, however, he interrupted: "That forms part of my past." Eventually, the 57-year-old went on to give his take on that summer of six years ago, expressing more regret at the actions of the Spanish FA (then led by a certain Luis Rubiales) than his own.

The message, though, was clear and he will arrive at West Ham this summer a man determined not to be defined by what has gone before.