Leeds Live’s Beren Cross ‘would not be surprised’ to see former player Andrew Hughes return to the club as a coach. The 42-year-old recently left his post at Sheffield United and posted a farewell message to everyone associated with the club via his social media account.
Cross shared his thoughts during a recent Q&A session with a group of Leeds fans and mentioned that Hughes still regularly attends matches at Elland Road whenever possible. The former Whites player was described by Sheffield United’s academy boss Jack Lester as “a highly skilled and experienced coach” – but is there a role for him back at Leeds within the first-team setup?
The answer to that would appear to be no, according to Cross, who spoke of Marcelo Bielsa’s ‘monopoly’ on coaching control. He did say, however, that he ‘certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see him turn up in the academy setup’, but perhaps only at levels up to the Under-18s.
TIF Thoughts…
Based on Cross’ comments, it feels unlikely Bielsa would be willing to take him on as part of the first-team setup. Given the fact that the Whites are close to securing promotion back to the Premier League for the first time since their relegation in 2004, it is difficult to argue against the Argentine coach, who clearly knows what is best for his side.
Would you like to see Hughes return to Leeds in some capacity?
Yes
No
As a player, Hughes signed for the club from Norwich City back in August 2007 in a deal reportedly worth £450k, before leaving to join Scunthorpe United in 2011 on a free transfer (as per Transfermarkt.co.uk). He made over 100 appearances for the Yorkshire-based club and as Cross says, he will have ‘contacts inside the club’. However, if he was to return, it seems he would most likely take up a position in the Leeds academy, as per this report.