It's easy to forget that Alex Ferguson was briefly Scotland interim manager. Indeed in 1986, he led the Tartan Army at the World Cup in Mexico, combining the role with his club job at Aberdeen.
Fergie had taken on the Scotland mantle temporarily after the untimely death of his mentor Jock Stein at the end of a 1985 qualifier against Wales.
Scotland's tournament would be over by mid-June however and initially Ferguson returned to Aberdeen amid rumours linking him with clubs south of the border.
Four months later - in November '86 - he would become Manchester United manager.
If Netherlands manager Louis Van Gaal does follow on from Ferguson's successor David Moyes and become Man United manager he will have far less breathing space.
In an important summer for the club, Van Gaal would be unable to get stuck into the role until mid-July which could be a slight issue on the rebuilding front.
However, he would not be the first manager to take a team to the World Cup or European Championships and then take a new club job straight after the tournament...
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Guus Hiddink
Van Gaal's compatriot Guus Hiddink is a hero in South Korea after he led them to a semi-final place on home soil back in 2002. But he didn't stick around long, moving back to his homeland to take over at PSV.
His August arrival did not prove to be an issue as he won the league title in his first season back at a club that he led to the 1988 European Cup title.
The transition was helped by the fact that Hiddink brought some of his Korean World Cup heroes to PSV midway through that debut season with Park Ji Sung and Lee Young Pyo arriving.
Jacques Santini
The Frenchman took his native country to the last-8 at Euro 2004. But just before the Euros began, the former Saint Etienne legend confirmed that he had already agreed to take over at Tottenham Hotspur after the tournament.
It turned out to be a nightmare for Santini who lasted just 13 games at White Hart Lane before resigning.
Afterwards, he seemed to blame the timing of his decision to join Spurs for the failure to get success.
"My only regret is having signed too early. I should have waited until after Euro 2004, even if that means I might have missed my chance," he told a French paper.
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Giovanni Trapattoni
Trap has yet to take on a new role since leaving the Ireland job last Autumn. But after he depared the Italy job following a disappointing Euro 2004, he did not let the grass grow under his feet and confirmed a move to Portugal less than a month later.
The managerial legend landed on his feet at Benfica and led the team to a first league title in over a decade in his debut season.
Manager Luiz Felipe Scolari and Deco ©INPHO/Getty Images
Big Phil Scolari
The World Cup-winning Brazil manager's spell at Chelsea did not exactly go to plan. Straight after taking Portugal to the quarter-finals at Euro 2008, Big Phil began an adventure in England that would not last too long.
Unfortunately it was the trigger happy Chelsea. Despite a good start to the season and a Portuguese contingent at Stamford Bridge, results tailed off and he was sacked in February 2009. His paternalistic managerial style which had served him well with Brazil and Portugal, did not transfer well to Chelsea's dressing room.
Marco Van Basten
Van Basten left the Holland job after Euro 2008 and by July 1st he was Ajax manager. The season did not go to plan as the Netherland's most successful club missed out on a Champions League qualifying spot, despite spending over €30 million on new arrivals that summer.
