ALEX McLEISH has revealed how former England boss Steve McClaren persuaded him to make the shock move to Belgium and become the new manager of Racing Genk.

The former Rangers and Scotland boss has taken charge of Genk after being out of the game for over 18 months.

And the ex-Motherwell and Hibs gaffer revealed he decided to go for his first foreign job after a chat with current Derby manager McClaren, who had two spells at Dutch side Twente Enschede and a stint with Germans Wolfsburg.

McLeish said: "Belgium is a new challenge for me and I can't wait to get started. I love a challenge.

"I had a conversation with Steve McClaren and he convinced me it was a good idea.

"At my first training session, I saw an enthusiastic group.

"I spoke to them and that confirmed I have made the right choice.

"When I watched them win last week, I saw the team had plenty of fighting spirit and that's very important to me.

"Also, the facilities at the club are just superb, fantastic. I can't wait to start my work here."

McLeish is set to recruit a well-known No.2 this week.

"But I can't release the name yet because the person involved hasn't yet made up his mind yet," he said.

Genk sports director Gunther Jacobs admitted: "We are still pleasantly surprised that a manager who learned his craft under Sir Alex Ferguson would want to come to us."