Sparky vs. Savage: Mark Hughes and Robbie Savage reunite in non-league competition

Can Savage emulate his old Wales coach by coaching in the Premier League or at international level one day?

Wrexham-born Savage, who has won 39 caps as a player, says he is currently “a million miles away” from coaching Wales or any Football League team, but would like to take charge of his country one day.

Savage certainly has a useful mentor in Forest Green – fellow Welshman Mark Bowen, who used to coach him with Wales and Blackburn as Hughes’ second-in-command, and is now the Gloucestershire club’s director of football.

“Robbie is a very passionate person and a true student of the game,” said Bowen, who played a key role in Savage’s appointment as manager at The New Lawn.

“He doesn’t have many outside interests other than football. He watches it, reads it and studies it.

“President [Dale Vince] He was initially convinced that Robbie could and should be the right man for Forest Green Rovers. “We brought in a lot of new players, about 15 players, and we thought it would take some time for it to settle down.”

Winning eight and drawing five of their first thirteen matches before losing for the first time to Rochdale last weekend was a pleasant surprise.

“We certainly didn’t expect to get as far as we did,” Bowen added.

“I look at people who have had opportunities in higher leagues and better clubs and ask: Are they any different to Robbie Savage?” In the end you have to win football matches and he does that.

“There is nothing stopping him from moving on to a higher level, hopefully with Forest Green Rovers.”

Having spent most of his coaching career alongside Hughes, Bowen believes the former Wales and Manchester United striker has not received the credit he deserves for managing six top-flight clubs over 14 years.

Hughes was denied his best chance of a Premier League and Champions League title when City sacked him, after leaving for an initial purchase in the Middle East, in 2009 after 18 months in charge and appointed Roberto Mancini in his place.

“I always feel like Mark got a lot of bad. The day Mark was sacked by Manchester City they were lying [sixth] “In the Premier League and in the semi-finals of the League Cup,” Bowen said.

“We were comparing ourselves to the likes of David Moyes and Big Sam [Allardyce]. For a long time, you could look at Mark’s record and he was better than those two.

“If you look at Mark Hughes’ Premier League career, it suits most people. I definitely feel he deserves more recognition.”