Arthur Numan

Numan was a regular pundit on Scotsport SPL, Scottish and Grampian TV's round-up of Scottish Premier League action and remained in Hamilton for a few years after his retirement. He was also appointed treasurer of the Rangers Charity Trust. He has taken up the position of team manager for the Netherlands B squad in December 2008. Numan signed a one-year contract with Aston Villa to become their scout in the Netherlands and surrounding areas in mid-2011. Currently, he works as a scout for Eredivisie side AZ on a part-time basis.

Early career

Born in Heemskerk, North Holland, Numan started his career with the amateur club SV Beverwijk and was spotted by Haarlem, who handed him his first professional game against DS '79 on 26 March 1988 which his team won 2–0. He originally played in a more attacking role, but his long-time mentor Dick Advocaat, then the coach of Haarlem, positioned him as a left fullback.

Twente and PSV

Numan joined Twente at the close of the 1990–91 season where he scored goals even as a defender. He was named team captain for the Enschede team and also captained the Dutch Under 21 national team. However, it was not until he joined PSV Eindhoven that his talents were fully appreciated. He was drafted into the Dutch team for a World Cup qualifying game against Poland which ended in a 2–2 draw on 14 October 1992. Numan was substituted after forty minutes by Advocaat, who was then the national team coach and brought on PSV teammate Gerald Vanenburg as his team was 2–0 down early in the game.

Rangers

A £4.5 million deal took him to Rangers in May 1998, but Numan's time in Scotland was then blighted by injuries that forced him to sit out many games. Dick Advocaat, who managed the team at that time, waited for Numan to recover, a move which was rewarded when he helped the team to considerable league success as well as the treble in his first and final season at Rangers. Numan was awarded the teams vice-captaincy serving as deputy to captain Lorenzo Amoruso. He…

Numan was included in the squad for the 1994 World Cup in the United States, although he was never included in the starting line-up for any of the matches. His World Cup debut came against Ireland as a substitute in the 75th minute. He was also selected for Euro 1996, yet also failed to start a match at the tournament. Numan was chosen to captain the team. He featured in most of the qualification games for the 1998 World Cup. Numan played in all of the group matches in France, although the quarter final game against Argentina was marred with his second yellow card of the game (after a tackle on Diego Simeone). He missed the crucial clash with eventual finalist Brazil. He played in the third placing match against Croatia, but could not help his team win the bronze medal. Numan continued to feature in the Dutch national team, representing his country on home soil during the Euro 2000 tournament. By 2000, Numan's career at the international stage appeared to wane and his automatic left back spot was open to his contenders Winston Bogarde and Giovanni van Bronckhorst. He was to play for the remaining games of his team's failed attempt to capture their first major trophy since 1988 culminating in the semi-final loss to Italy on penalties. He was determined to assist his national team to qualify for the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan under manager Louis van Gaal but the crucial game against Ireland at Landsdowne Road stadium in late 2001 was lost 1–0. He retired from…

PSV Eindhoven

Eredivisie: 1997 KNVB Cup: 1996 Johan Cruijff Shield: 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998 Rangers

Scottish Premier League: 1999, 2000, 2003 Scottish Cup: 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 Scottish League Cup: 1999, 2002, 2003