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Meet the Socceroos secret weapon for the World Cup: Sir Alex Ferguson's former Man United assistant Rene Meulensteen helped make Cristiano Ronaldo a world-beater and is now the ace up Graham Arnold's sleeve

As the Socceroos prepare for the World Cup in Qatar in November, fans will be looking to manager Graham Arnold in the hope of seeing success at the highest possible level.

Arnold, in turn, will be relying heavily on his assistant coach Dutchman Rene Meulensteen - a man who is very experienced in his own right.

Rene Meulensteen spent six years as first-team coach at Manchester United working alongside the imperious Sir Alex Ferguson and helping mould football legend Cristiano Ronaldo into the remarkable player he is today.

Rene Meulensteen (pictured left) spent six years as first-team coach at Manchester United working alongside the imperious Sir Alex Ferguson.u00a0Meulensteen spent 11 years at Manchester United, initially as academy head but later as No. 2 to Ferguson for six years

Rene Meulensteen (pictured left) spent six years as first-team coach at Manchester United working alongside the imperious Sir Alex Ferguson.