Leeds United have been urged by Carlton Palmer to look into the possibility of rehiring former manager Paul Heckingbottom to replace Jesse Marsch.
What’s the latest?
The West Yorkshire club are now set to face Manchester United twice this week and they will potentially be doing so without a permanent manager in the dugout.
Marsch was relieved of his duties on Monday following a dismal weekend for the club which saw the Whites slip ever closer to the relegation zone.
And as the search for a new manager begins, there have been some familiar faces linked with Marcelo Bielsa’s name thrown into the ring by various reports.
However, speaking on TalkSport, Palmer has urged Leeds to look at bringing back Heckingbottom who is currently working wonders at Sheffield United:
“I’ll throw a name at you, and I know I live in Sheffield and they won’t be too happy. The job that Heckingbottom has done at Sheffield United with Stuart McCall – he’s one I’d be looking at. I’ll tell you that now. He’s done a fantastic job. I thought they should have given him the job the first time around.”
Returning to Heckingbottom?
As Palmer suggested, it is a suggestion that would likely not go down well in Sheffield with the Blades flying in the Championship and through to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Heckingbottom is doing a fantastic job at Bramall Lane this season with the Blades sitting in a favourable position to gain automatic promotion back to the Premier League.
United are now 10 points clear of Middlesbrough – who sit in third place – and have a game in hand as well as now scheduling a huge FA Cup clash against Tottenham Hotspur.
With all of this in mind, it is hard to imagine why Heckingbottom would pack up his stuff and leave for Leeds.
Although any manager taking the job at Elland Road would back themselves to turn the ship around, there is absolutely no guarantee that Marsch’s successor will be managing in the top flight next season.
Whereas, at Sheffield United, it does feel as if it would take a huge capitulation for the Blades not to gain automatic promotion back to the Premier League this season.
The 45-year-old’s previous record at Leeds conjured up a mixed bag of results but there are signs of improvement in his managing ability with a much-improved record at Bramall Lane.
But it does feel as if he would be taking an enormous risk by leaving the Blades to attempt to keep Leeds afloat.
