The incredible journey that brought Shadab Iftikhar back to Wigan Athletic - via non-league, Mongolia, Samoa, Scotland, Belgium and Pakistan!
Shadab Iftikhar has been speaking of his remarkable journey that has brought him to the Wigan Athletic first-team coaching squad.
The 35-year-old, who hails from Preston, must have one of the most unique CVs on the circuit.
Starting off as a volunteer opposition scout during Roberto Martinez's spell as manager with Latics, Iftikhar has clocked up more air miles than Judith Chalmers in the last decade.
Having managed Hesketh Bank, Nelson FC and the University of Central Lancashire men's team in 2015, he was appointed boss of Bayangol of the Mongolian Premier League the following year.
That led him to serving as assistant manager of the Mongolia national team during the 2017 East Asian Cup, before a return to the UK as Academy coach at Accrington Stanley.
Twelve months later, Iftikhar was back on his travels, taking over as head coach of Vailima Kiwi in the Samoan National League, before again returning to the UK and a coaching role at Skelmersdale United.
In November 2021, he took over as manager of Scottish Highland Football League outfit Fort William - who were labelled 'the worst team in Britain' by a BBC documentary.
Two years later, it was back out to Pakistan role in charge of the Under-19 national side, before being given his chance with Latics on Shaun Maloney's backroom staff.
Throw in spells as a scout with Latics, Everton and Belgium - where he first worked with Maloney - and it's a tale that would be thrown out by Hollywood as too outlandish.
"I initially came here as a 22-year-old kid, under Roberto, did a lot of scouting reports off my own back, and then followed him to Everton," he explained.
"I then went out on my own to manage in Mongolia and Samoa, before rejoining him with Belgium, where I then met the gaffer.
"That was an eventful chapter, and then I ended up in Scotland managing Fort William, and then Pakistan, before arriving here back at Wigan Athletic.
"It's been a long journey, an eventful journey, it's already taken me to many jobs in many countries.
"But it's all come together to allow me to bring all that experience to my new role and help the group and help the club as much as I possibly can.
"Roberto and Shaun have obviously been massive in shaping my footballing philosophy.
"We've got a very young, talented squad here, and I can't wait to see where this leads us all."Every day we want to get better, to improve, to get better than we were yesterday, and we'll take it from there."
Iftikhar will help to fill the gap created by Stephen Crainey’s surprise departure to Bolton Wanderers last week.
Boss Maloney admitted he was torn between ‘going down the experienced route, or giving youth a chance’.
And the appointment of Iftikhar – and Tom Huddlestone, who recently left a player-coach role with Manchester United’s Under-21s – showed the Latics chief is open to new ideas from the next generation.