Hiddink becomes a blueblood

THE end is in sight for Guus Hiddink and Chelsea, but there is no sense that the Dutchman has already emotionally checked out of Stamford Bridge.

If anything, the crushing disappointment of being jettisoned from the Champions League in such heartbreaking circumstances against Barcelona last Wednesday appears to have strengthened Hiddink’s affections for the club.

When he spoke yesterday about the bond he has forged with his squad during his 10-week stint as interim manager, he did not sound like a man itching to return to the job of taking Russia to the World Cup on 30 May.