Jackson Irvine believes Fabian Hurzeler has the ambition and ability to eventually manage Bayern Munich, but says the Brighton & Hove Albion head coach is currently in the ideal environment to develop further.
Irvine worked with Hurzeler at St Pauli, where the Australian was captain and the Hamburg club won the German second-tier title before securing promotion to the Bundesliga. Hurzeler initially served as an assistant before becoming head coach.
Speaking exclusively to Flashscore during an interview in Japan, Irvine said Hurzeler’s meticulous approach had a major impact on St Pauli’s success.
“I worked with him for a year and a half when he was the assistant, before taking over the head coach role,” said Irvine, who now plays for Cerezo Osaka.
“He did take a lot of tactical sessions, but I don't think any of us quite realised the impact that he would have on us in such a short space of time.
“His attention to detail was like nothing I've ever experienced. There was a demand every day to add something new to our game and constantly keep pushing us to suffer through what it took to take that final step as a team to go up.”
Hurzeler’s instructions extended to the smallest elements of defensive play, according to Irvine.
“It would go down to even the finest of details, such as the positioning of your legs in the box when you're defending,” he said. “It came down to a yard, or even an inch in some cases - it was that kind of level of detail.
“Everything we did was with a purpose. You're never in a position in a game that you hadn’t prepared for in training.
“Obviously, we didn't always execute it perfectly. We weren’t Barcelona! But we had the clearest picture of what we were trying to do, and everyone was on the same page.
“That led to some amazing success in the following 18 months he had in charge.”
Irvine, who is 33 and the same age as Hurzeler, believes a return to the coach’s Bavarian roots could eventually present an opportunity at Bayern Munich.
“It probably wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s got an eye on that Bayern Munich job one day,” he said. “He's a Bavarian boy, it's his hometown club, and I’d think he’d love that opportunity to go there.
“Without a doubt, I think he'll get his chance. He’ll get his big move at some point, but I think he's in a perfect place right now at Brighton.”
Irvine added that Brighton & Hove Albion’s ability to maintain their standards despite regularly changing their squad had helped Hurzeler continue to progress.
“It’s a club that has a high turnover of players, but never seems to drop its level,” he said. “It consistently performs and plays the kind of football that enables him to get the best out of that group of players. I think he's gone from strength to strength since he's been there.”
Hurzeler has also endured difficult spells, including one at the turn of this year, but Irvine said the club’s backing allowed him to recover.
“He’s had a couple of wobbles as well, but he's managed to fight his way through that, whereas a lot of Premier League managers don't survive those kinds of spells,” he said.
“He’s an extremely ambitious guy, and is always looking forward. I hope one day we get a chance to share a beer and reminisce, but I wish him the very best.”