Chris Burke has returned to Kilmarnock as a coach with the former Rangers winger starting the next stage of his career.
The 38-year-old left the Rugby Park club as a player in May after their Championship title win and initially wanted to continue playing. But he's decided that a route into coaching as the club’s new Reserves, U18s and Intermediates Coach is what is best for him. Burke made 108 appearances for Rangers over seven years before moving to Cardiff City in 2009.
He's been at Kilmarnock since 2017, saying of his next move: “I did a lot of thinking and reflecting after coming to a crossroads in my life on what path to take next. I now have clarity in how I feel. I know I said I was going to continue playing but I must say that I had to come back to the club.
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“In the back of my mind, I felt that my sense of fulfilment in life and the place to start my new journey was here.
“I have to thank the manager especially because he maintained good communication with me to see how I was.
"He’s not just a great coach and manager but a great leader so he was another big factor in coming back here.
“It is the best education that I’ll get in starting my new journey, which I hope will be a long and successful one."
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Boss Derek McInnes explained: “I’m absolutely delighted by Chris’ desire to come back and be part of what we’re doing here.
“This is such an important role in the club, helping to develop our Academy players alongside the other Academy coaches and producing players for Kilmarnock’s first team.
“It is a multi-faceted role. His main role will be in the Academy with Craig Clark and he’ll help Paul Sheerin with the Reserve team and he will have a role to play within the first team structure.
“Chris is a brilliant role model for our youngsters to learn from and ensuring we maintained his association with the club was everything we wanted.”
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