Survival is no bad legacy if Mark Jackson does move on from Leeds United. Milton Keynes Dons want the first-team coach to take their top job in League One, leaving his Whites future hanging in the balance.
LeedsLive understands talks have progressed and there is a very real chance the former United defender could be taking the next step in his management career elsewhere. After rising from the under-18s to the under-23s and then into the first team under Jesse Marsch, Jackson’s surge has been unstoppable in recent years.
While the American declined to comment on Jackson’s future or the Dons interest, he was happy to wax lyrical about the 45-year-old’s impact behind the scenes. The head coach even said the club would have been relegated in May if it had not been for Jackson’s impact.
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“All I can really talk about right now is Jacko has been an absolute asset for me from the first day I stepped foot into this building,” he said. “He has done everything, and more than, I could have hoped [for].
“His passion, his commitment, his love of this club made him essential for me, and for us, in our quest to stay in the league. I fully believe without him we wouldn't have stayed in the league.
“He helped me understand what the culture of the club is, what the culture of the fans [is], what the history means to what we're building here. He helped me understand the player pool, what was done in the past, what he thinks we need to do in the future.
“He committed himself to what I was doing entirely. It's not for me to talk about what may be out there, what his future may be, but I can only say I value him completely as a person and as a football mind.
“I can see why there's interest in him because he has a big future.”
MK Dons are currently third from bottom in the third tier, despite finishing third from top last season. Liam Manning was sacked earlier this month, despite last year’s success and Jackson looks like the man chairman Pete Winkelman wants to replace him.
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