“He’s turned them around and they were unlucky not to be playing in the Champions League final. They have to win this Cup, it’s what their fans are looking forward to.

“There was a lot of pressure with him taking that job but he seems to have taken it in his stride. For anyone who knows him, they know it’s not a fluke.

“I’ve always said Guus is a genius. I don’t know how he does it. He is a tactical magician. He is one of those managers that is always thinking two steps ahead and it seems to work before he has even done it.”

Cahill adds: “Guus was lucky in that he inherited a good team at Australia. He was the final piece of the puzzle, and what he brought was a presence and a lot of other countries were scared about that.

“He’d just tell us ‘don’t worry about it, you’re going to win’ and that touch of arrogance helped us.

“But who is the best manager I have played under? Difficult, that.

“At international level, Guus and Pim Verbeek are two very different people and I respect them a lot.

“But David Moyes has affected my career in a big way. He’s someone that took a chance and paid £1.5m for me and played me to the death.”