No major finals for 20 years? Join the club, says Leekens

on recovering after losing your opening match.

“I know what it’s like to go back,” he said. “I would say it’s easier when you go back because you know how the federation works and it’s not new to you so you understand the basics. And of course, you change as a manager.

“It would be a miracle if everything went as you wanted it to go in your first game. That is why we need these games. I lost my first games in charge of Belgium on both occasions and Algeriabutyoujustusethemtolearn.”

“The manager can’t change things in a few months. You need to be patient. That’s the only way to rebuild. I hope Alex Mcleish will find young boys who are knocking on the door.”

That is what Leekens, who played three times for the Belgian national side during a career spent mostly with Club Brugge, found when he returned to Belgium for a second time in 2010.