Former Manchester United assistant manager Chris Armas will return to Old Trafford on Wednesday night as part of Leeds United's interim management team.
The West Yorkshire outfit, in the wake of Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, made the decision to sack boss Jesse Marsch on Monday, meaning they will be under caretaker stewardship for their trip across the Pennines to M16. It has been confirmed that a three-man coaching team of Michael Skubala, Paco Gallardo and Armas will be in charge, as they look to try and transform the Whites' fortunes and drag them away from danger ahead of Marsch's permanent successor being appointed.
Armas was brought to Old Trafford by former United interim manager Ralf Rangnick in December 2021. The American coach had never worked with Rangnick before, but the latter knew of Armas' coaching credentials from their previous roles as part of the Red Bull franchise.
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Armas, of course, left United at the end of last season along with Rangnick, following Erik ten Hag's arrival from Ajax. He only joined Leeds last month and was appointed as assistant head coach alongside Rene Maric, who was dismissed alongside Marsch.
Ahead of the start of this season, Armas, 50, reflected on his time at Old Trafford and had his say on the appointment of Ten Hag and the transfer business the club had conducted ahead of their season opener against Brighton. Although Ten Hag, at the time, was still a relatively unknown figure to many in English football, Armas expected him to make a strong impact in M16, something he has done in just about every way the former Reds coach anticipated he would do.
"I do think that there are a lot of good pieces in place already," Armas told Sky Sports, speaking back in August. "I have studied his principles before. With the ball and without the ball, enjoy what he is looking to bring and sitting on the edge of your seat, enjoying attacking, possession-based and counter-pressing football, you can see it all in his game.
"But I do see a serious side to him; I don't think he is afraid to make big decisions and I don't think he is willing to relent on his principles in his way."
As we have all witnessed this season, Ten Hag has not shied away from making ruthless and difficult decisions, meaning he has restored order and ended the player-power era at Old Trafford. He has also significantly improved United's way of playing and given them an identity again.
United's significant improvements this season have, of course, been supported by new additions. The likes of Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro have all made telling impacts, not only on the pitch with their capabilities and credentials as footballers, but also off it with their mentality and determination.
Armas added: "You can see with guys like Eriksen, these are culture guys that he has brought in. Making big signings is one thing, and you want to get them right, but part of getting it right is bringing in good footballers, but also guys that can affect and influence the locker room, on the pitch and off the pitch — and I think he is doing that.
"It is guys that can actually sway a locker room and lead. I think the challenge for him is that he needs a little bit of time."
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