Everton assistant Alan Irvine will remain with Scotland as new head coach Sebastien Pocognoli reshapes his coaching team.
Irvine, the former West Brom manager who recruited Pocognoli as a player during his short spell at The Hawthorns in 2014, became part of Steve Clarke’s national set-up following Euro 2024.
Pocognoli replaced Clarke last month, and the Scottish FA has announced that Irvine and goalkeeping coach Chris Woods will stay on alongside two newly appointed staff members.
Former Belgium coach Luke Benstead has joined Pocognoli’s assistant team together with Cameron Campbell, who held academy roles at Aberdeen and Rangers before becoming RB Leipzig’s head of player development in 2024.
Campbell, 35, moved to Tottenham Hotspur last year as a first-team individual development coach. Benstead, previously an analyst at Everton and Manchester United, became assistant manager of Istanbul Basaksehir 12 months ago.
Now that his support staff has been finalized, the former Monaco and Union St-Gilloise manager is expected to announce his first Scotland squad on Tuesday ahead of his opening training camp.
Scotland will play Slovenia twice in the Nations League, with matches against Switzerland and North Macedonia also scheduled during the extended international window.
Pocognoli said selecting the right support team was a major priority as he began this new chapter. After carefully considering his options, he expressed satisfaction with the staff he had assembled.
He was particularly pleased that Irvine immediately agreed to continue, praising his commitment, ability on the training ground and the strong respect he commands among former colleagues.
Pocognoli also said Campbell made an excellent impression during their meeting. He added that trusted contacts in the English Premier League and Germany had provided exceptional recommendations, while Campbell’s Scottish background was another advantage.
Benstead was already familiar to Pocognoli through his work in Belgium, where he helped develop several leading prospects during seven years with the national side. His experience covers performance analysis, elite-level assistant coaching and responsibility for set-pieces, a role he will retain with Scotland. Pocognoli was also impressed by his eagerness to join the project.
He offered similar praise for Woods, highlighting both his distinguished international playing career and his extensive coaching knowledge gained from working with several high-quality goalkeepers.
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