Former Middlesbrough and Sunderland star Stewart Downing has been appointed as the new U21s assistant coach at Leeds United, the club have officially confirmed.
The Peacocks announced early on Saturday morning that Scott Gardner would be the permanent manager of the youth side, having acted as caretaker boss ever since his predecessor Michael Skubala left back in November to take up the vacant position as head coach of Lincoln City in League One.
Gardner had previously been in charge of Leeds’ U18s side at Thorp Arch, stepping up a level due to the loss of Skubala but has now been confirmed as the permanent manager of the U21s, who sit 18th in the Premier League 2 table after nine games.
Furthermore, the club revealed that former England international Downing was appointed as Gardner’s assistant coach, while Michael Pudjak and Chris Elliott have also been added to the backroom staff.
Stewart Downing added to Leeds United U21 staff as Scott Gardner lands top job on a permanent basis:https://t.co/wbEbH1SoX8
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) January 20, 2024
Having hung up his boots back in 2021 after two years with Blackburn Rovers, Downing went on to work as a youth coach with Middlesbrough, the side he played with for a total of 12 seasons across two spells, making 404 appearances in all competitions for the club.
Downing returned to the Riverside Stadium back in 2015, joining from West Ham United for a reported £7 million and played a part in helping the side reach promotion to the Premier League under former manager Aitor Karanka in 2016.
However, the 39-year-old has now jumped ship and moved down south in Yorkshire to Leeds United where he will be for the foreseeable future.
Writer’s View
Gardner was the obvious choice for Leeds to appoint as the new U21s permanent head coach, although it’s peculiar that the decision was made more than two months after Skubala left the club to move to Sincil Bank.
Nevertheless, with plenty of experience in the side’s youth setup, Gardner has added some real quality to his backroom staff, particularly with Downing as the players can certainly learn a lot from someone who played at the very highest level for club and country.
