Kolkata, Oct. 4 -- As has been seen at Leeds United, Marseille and Chile, it is not easy to succeed Marcelo Bielsa. But that's not why, even as he spoke of 2030, Diego Forlan was not looking too far ahead. His contract after replacing Bielsa as Uruguay head coach is till March 2027.

Asked why he agreed, Forlan, who has 112 caps and 36 goals for Uruguay and won the Golden Ball in the 2010 World Cup, simply said: "Well, the offer was not permanent."

He still accepted because "it is a great opportunity." That he took charge after Uruguay were the highest ranked team to exit from the group stage of a 48-team World Cup mattered little, he said. Ranked 19th at the last World Cup, Uruguay are 20th in the world now.

Forlan is also in charge of...