Garry Monk has insisted that Leeds United’s players are “on the right track” to carve out top careers at the club.
Monk delivered his verdict on the squad he managed this season in a farewell statement on Twitter on Thursday night after handing in his resignation earlier in the day.
The 38-year-old explained that it had been his intention to remain at Leeds “for many years to come” but he could not come to an agreement with the club’s new owner Andrea Radrizzani during contract talks.
Monk did not divulge the details of where negotiations between the two parties fell apart but he was keen to thank ex-owner Massimo Cellino, the club’s staff and the players he managed during a campaign in which the team challenged strongly for promotion before a final-month collapse.
The former centre-back took over a squad that had finished between 13th and 15th in each of the five previous campaigns and transformed its fortunes through shrewd recruitment and impressive coaching on the training ground.
Monk paid tribute to the players, many of whom made huge strides under his management in his season at the helm.
“I would like to thank all of the players, who have been a real privilege to work with every day,” Monk said in the statement. “They are on the right track to be successful and boast the potential to be top players for this club, of that I have no doubt.”
It is with huge disappointment that my time at Leeds United has come to an end… pic.twitter.com/Lt5ivzyJdj
— Garry Monk (@GarryMonk) May 25, 2017
The Championship club announced on their official website on Thursday that Monk would be departing the club, much to the disappointment of the club’s fanbase.
Leeds finished in seventh position in England’s second tier after featuring in the top six of the Championship for a five-month period between November and April.
Monk is now expected to be high on the shortlist of a number of English clubs that are in the market for a manager, including the likes of Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Hull City.