PAUL HECKINGBOTTOM APPOINTED HEAD COACH

PAUL HECKINGBOTTOM APPOINTED HEAD COACH

New head coach announced.

Leeds United are delighted to confirm the appointment of Paul Heckingbottom as new head coach of the club. 

Heckingbottom arrives at the club from fellow Sky Bet Championship outfit Barnsley, having been in charge at Oakwell since February 2016.

The 40-year-old has signed a contract running until the summer of 2019 and succeeds Thomas Christiansen who left the Leeds United on Sunday.

As a player, Heckingbottom had a successful career as a defender, with spells at clubs including Norwich City, Bradford City, Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley.

After hanging up his boots, he returned to Barnsley as a coach in their development setup, before becoming caretaker boss in February 2015, taking over from Danny Wilson.

He took caretaker charge once again in February 2016, following the departure of Lee Johnson, before landing the job permanently.

During his time at the helm at Oakwell, Heckingbottom led Barnsely to success in the Football League Trophy, before guiding the Reds to promotion to the Championship via the Play-Offs.

Last season he steered the Reds to a 14th place finish in the division, on their return to the Championship and in total, oversaw over 100 games at Barnsley.

Heckingbottom’s first game in charge of Leeds United will be Saturday’s Yorkshire derby against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

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