FORMER Bridport manager Edgar Marcu is thriving in a new role in his native Romania.

Since being sacked by the Bees in September 2022, Marcu has taken on various roles in England and his home country.

Having coached with Yeovil Town Under-18s before taking the Bridport job, he went back to his youth football roots in December 2022.

He picked up the Lymington Town Under-18s job and was also involved with Sherborne Town following his exit from the Bees.

After taking a step back to collecting his UEFA B qualification following rigorous examinations in Wales, he later returned to Romania to embark on a new challenge.

There, he was named Dacia Unirea Braila assistant manager in November 2023 before leaving amid an alleged pay dispute.

And he has since returned to the youth ranks, taking charge of top-flight side UTA Arad’s under-15 team.

UTA finished seventh, inside the qualification places for the UEFA Conference League next season.

He told the Bridport News: “I’m grateful about that opportunity (at Braila) but I just wanted to move forward and work for a better club. I’m very happy to be here.

“It probably wasn’t the right time for me to work there, so I have to change the direction."

And Marcu is keen to soak up as much knowledge from the Romanian Liga 1 club as he continues his journey into management on a deal for the next six months.

“One of the UTA academy directors (Ovidiu Pinta) has also done his UEFA B Licence in England, so I knew him from there,” Marcu explained.

“We’ve been in chats, we’re good friends and when this opportunity came to coach the under-15s in a pro academy, I didn’t think too much and said I’d go for it.

“I was talking with JC at AFC Bournemouth and I do believe this is the right time for me to move forward, especially next season.

“I’ll start my UEFA A Licence, so I hope I can stay here for three or four years and I can climb the ladder in time with the right steps.

“I’m in exactly the right environment now and this is amazing for me. It’s a huge club, multiple times champions and they won the FA Cup in Romania two times.

“This is the perfect environment for me to learn and grow in the next couple of years.”

Marcu, who left Bridport having only taken charge of nine games in total, also shared his learnings after a series of setbacks.

He said: “I think it might be an inspirational story for many other coaches, who have dreams to go into the pro game.

“My advice would be not to give up. You have to move forward all the time.”