MÖNCHENGLADBACH, Germany (AP) — Borussia Mönchengladbach promoted the head of its youth academy, Roland Virkus, to become the Bundesliga club’s new sporting director on Tuesday.
The 55-year-old Virkus fills the position made available by Max Eberl’s abrupt departure.
Eberl helped steer Gladbach’s revival after a brush with relegation in 2011 with the team challenging for Champions League qualification in recent seasons. But this season has seen a major downturn for the team coached by Adi Hütter with Gladbach close to the relegation zone and already out of the German Cup.
“We have a strong structure and a strong team. I am very pleased that in Roland Virkus, one of this team will now continue the work of Max Eberl,” Gladbach president Rolf Königs said.
Virkus has been at the club since 1990, when he started as a youth coach. He trained the under-15, under-17 and under-19 teams, and took over as head of academy in 2008.
Gladbach’s vice president, Rainer Bonhof, said Virkus “has everything you need for the position of sports director. He has experience in running a professional football operation, experience in squad planning, experience in dealing with coaches and players, experience in dealing with player agents and a large network. He’s the right man for this job.”
Gladbach’s first match with Virkus in his new position is at second-place Borussia Dortmund on Sunday before a series of games against relegation rivals Wolfsburg, Stuttgart and Hertha Berlin.
“I’m very happy about the club management’s confidence,” Virkus said. “This new task is a great challenge for me, one I will approach with humility and respect, but also with great joy and lots of energy. I know I’m not alone here, but that I have a great team at my side.”
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