Ian Harte believes Jason Blunt “will be missed” by Leeds after the club confirmed the departure of their Under-23 head coach.
The Yorkshire giants confirmed on their official club website that Blunt would step down from his role at the end of July, three years after first joining the club as a coach in 2014.
Leeds icon Harte posted on his personal Twitter account in reaction to the news, claiming he was “gutted” that the former Sutton United manager would be leaving the Championship outfit this summer.
Gutted to see Jason leaving @LUFC a top coach and person. He will be missed #MOT https://t.co/j35Bp66bbd
— Ian Harte (@ianharte23) June 7, 2017
Blunt, 39, replaced Richard Naylor as Leeds’ Under-18 and development squad manager in 2014, quickly making an impression and aiding Neil Redfearn in charge of the first team towards the end of the 2014-15 season.
However, following Daral Pugh’s appointment in 2015, Blunt was effectively demoted to work alongside Under-18 manager John Anderson before re-assuming his position as Under-23 manager under Garry Monk in June 2016.
Blunt also began his playing career at Leeds in 1995 as a midfielder, but managed just four appearances before going on to have a career in the Football League with spells at the likes of Blackpool, Doncaster and Tamworth.
Blunt is just another part of a backroom shake-up following owner Andrea Radrizzani’s takeover last month. It has seen Monk resign as manager, while Angus Kinnear has replaced Ben Mansford as chief executive.
New director of football Victor Orta and Adam Underwood will search for Blunt’s replacement, but filling the managerial void left by Monk is likely to take priority.
Harte, 39, made a huge 288 league and cup appearances for Leeds during a nine-year spell that lasted between 1995 and 2004, and is currently left-back Tyler Denton’s agent.