Alex Cora’s Red Sox coaches knew he was manager material

Credit: Associated PressHOUSTON — There won’t be much to learn about new Red Sox manager Alex Cora by watching his mannerisms in the Houston Astros dugout during Game 3 of the World Series tonight.

But looking back to 2005-08, when he was a utility player with the Red Sox and won a World Series ring in ’07, it’s easy to see the image of a player who was destined to become a manager.

“I wasn’t surprised at all,” said Dave Magadan, the Arizona Diamondbacks hitting coach who served the same role for the Red Sox from 2007-12. “Not surprised at all.”

“Once I heard of that hire, I thought, ‘What a great move,’ ” said Dale Sveum, the Kansas City Royals bench coach who spent two seasons in Boston from…