No country for old men: Premier League grind is why managers are getting younger

The boss in the dugout is typically no longer an ageing former player – most are in their 40s on an exhausting treadmill One of the problems with getting older is that you’re never quite sure whether it’s you or them.

Is the world really changing, or is it just you, struggling to adapt? There’s a milestone in life, probably as you’re contemplating university or a first job, when you realise you’re watching a footballer who is younger than you.

Then, 15-20 years later, you realise you’re watching a manager who is younger than you.

And 15-20 years after that, especially if you’re watching the modern Premier League, you realise that almost every manager is younger than you.

At which you do two things: give thanks for David Moyes; and check to see whether it’s actually happening, or whether this is just the football equivalent of the policemen-getting-younger cliche.

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