Former national soccer coach Dick Advocaat will leave for the Netherlands after his nine-month stay in South Korea.

In a news conference Tuesday, Advocaat thanked his colleagues at the Korea Football Association for their help and praised his successor, Pim Verbeek, for his leadership skills.

Advocaat will take over the Russian pro soccer team Zenit St. Petersburg, and take with him South Korean players Kim Dong-jin and Lee Ho.

Advocaat also said South Korea has five to six young talented players who should gain experience overseas to develop their skills further.