Former Manchester United coach Chris Armas is set to join Leeds United’s backroom staff, according to reports.
Armas was with the Red Devils in the second part of last season’s doomed campaign, which saw the Red Devils record their worst ever Premier League points tally. The 50-year-old was a part of Ralf Rangnick’s hastily assembled team following his appointment as interim boss.
But he failed to win over a disjointed dressing room, with reports he was nicknamed Ted Lasso after the bungling fictional, American coach. He was also mocked for his use of AirPods on the United bench, with Armas tasked with relaying tactical information to Rangnick.
Armas arrived at Old Trafford after indifferent spells with New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC in MLS. But according to the Athletic, that did little to impress the club’s greatest ever manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who told Armas in no uncertain terms: “You’ll need more than that here, son!”
Despite leaks of disrespect from players, Armas told the Crack Podcast that his relationship with the squad was a good one.
“I'm only grateful, they treated me, I promise you all, tremendously. Upper management, coaching staff, Darren Fletcher, they treated me as if I'd been there forever and they were amazing,” he said last summer.
"With the players, I had a really good rapport, top to bottom, young or older, or superstar. But the frustrating thing is you find yourself with this gift, like a pot of gold and I can't carry it, it's too heavy."
Armas also hinted at criticism of the club’s ambition when Rangnick was in the dugout, with the Austrian unable to bring in his own players during his short tenure. He added: “Ralf came in and had ideas of what he wanted to do.
"Why not? I don't know. Imagine, it's a blessing and curse, for me, I'm only grateful, they treated me, I promise you all, tremendously.”
But his somewhat chastening experience in English football clearly hasn’t put him off with the Daily Mail reporting he has accepted a job in Jesse Marsch’s coaching set-up at Elland Road. The Whites are in the market for a coach following Mark Jackson’s move to MK Dons and Armas’ arrival is all sewn up, pending visa approval.
He returns to the Premier League in another precarious situation however, with Leeds hovering above the relegation zone and his compatriot Marsch fighting off calls for the sack. “I accept the pressures of what’s happening in my role right now.
“I am doing everything I can [to prosper] and we are. We believe in this project. It is clear with the transfers we make. To me, that has shown unity. Yes, I am disappointed with the fact we have not developed faster and better. I have to keep finding ways to push buttons.”
Armas won’t be with the team for Leeds’ clash with Brentford, but is likely to be in the dugout for their following Premier League match - when they take on Nottingham Forest on February 5.
