Diego Maradona will begin his duties as Argentina coach by coming to England this weekend to watch Carlos Tévez, of Manchester United, and Javier Mascherano, of Liverpool, two members of his squad. The former Barcelona and Napoli player, who was celebrating his 48th birthday yesterday, is replacing Alfio Basile, who resigned after a World Cup qualifying defeat by Chile two weeks ago.

Maradona's first match in charge of his country will be the friendly international against Scotland at Hampden Park on November 19, the Argentine football federation said last night.

It is apt that Scotland will mark the start of Maradona's new adventure because it was in June 1979 that he scored his first international goal, as the South Americans cruised to a 3-1 friendly win over Scotland in Glasgow.

“I am going to the country against whom I scored two goals [a 2-1 victory in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final] and also to Scotland,” Maradona, who has no top-level coaching experience, said yesterday. “I am travelling to England to watch Tévez and Mascherano play. And in Scotland I am going to make my coaching debut.”

Maradona's second match in charge will be a friendly against France in Marseilles on February 11.