Championship

Monk expands on why he quit Leeds

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Garry Monk has revealed Middlesbrough offered him everything Leeds United did not as he explained in the most detail yet to Sky Sports why he quit Elland Road.

Monk was confirmed as the new Boro boss last Friday on a three-year contract, just 15 days after handing in his resignation at Leeds.

He was officially unveiled by the north-east club on Monday and opened up on a departure that was a bombshell to the United faithful after he had transformed the fortunes of the team during a season in which they challenged strongly for a play-off spot before eventually securing a seventh-place finish in the Championship.

Monk has sealed a swift return to the second tier with Middlesbrough, following their relegation from the Premier League, and explained that their ambition was key to him accepting the post.

The 38-year-old ex-Swansea City defender had resigned at Leeds just two days after Andrea Radrizzani completed his takeover of the club from Massimo Cellino.

“It’s important to make clear in terms that there are two separate situations,” Monk said on Monday, as quoted by the Sky Sports website. “With Leeds, obviously the season I had I was expecting them to go forward in that process and me to be at Leeds and discussing with the owners.

“We couldn’t quite find that and then obviously after that I became a manager out of the job. I’m ambitious and want to be working and find that challenge, and all of those ticked boxes that I needed to go forward were with Middlesbrough.

“I don’t want to get into details to be honest, out of respect for Leeds, but having gone there and worked for Massimo originally, obviously Andrea came in and there was new ownership and so a new structure.

“I think then obviously as the season finished, to finally sit down with Leeds to discuss that new structure and process, I have to be honest, it wasn’t right for me in terms of those situations.

“I won’t go into the detail of it but there are things that didn’t suit me and I couldn’t see a clear process of how to go forward from that point, and then made that decision [to leave].

“Next was to look and try and find that right challenge that I wanted and everything that I wanted was clear with Middlesbrough.”

Monk was out of contract at Leeds this summer, but the club had made their intentions clear to offer him a fresh deal, although t it was reported that Radrizzani only had a 12-month extension in mind rather than a long-term deal.

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