Leeds coach Chris Armas will be looking to get his revenge on Manchester United in tonight’s Premier League clash.
Armas will be among a three-man coaching team who will lead Leeds this evening in a match against bitter rivals United at Old Trafford.
The Whites head into tonight’s game having sacked manager Jesse Marsch after a run of just two wins from their last 17 games. The club are currently 17th in the Premier League, just a place above the relegation zone on goal difference
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Meanwhile, United can draw level on points with second-placed Manchester City and extend a 13-match winning run at Old Trafford with a win this evening.
Armas, who for a short time was a coach at United under Ralf Ragnick, will be hoping to cause an upset on his return to the Manchester club.
Armas’ Alex Ferguson put down
According to the Athletic, Sir Alex Ferguson thought little of Armas’ CV upon the coaches arrival at United.
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The American was hired by Ragnick having never coached outside of North America.
Moreover, his last management job ended in his dismissal at Toronto FC after he claimed just two wins in his 15 games in charge.
Armas allegedly met the Scot after a Champions League draw with Young Boys last season, at which point the 50-year-old detailed his experience to the United legend.
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The Athletic claim that Ferguson responded to the American: “You’ll need more than that here, son.”
Of course, Armas’s time in Manchester was short-lived. He and Ragnick departed after a dismal season in which the interim coaching staff failed to arrest the Old Trafford club’s slide.
Armas branded Ted Lasso
Last February ESPN claimed that United players were becoming frustrated by Ragnick’s “old-fashioned” methods, while there was reportedly bemusement that Armas was taking the bulk of the coaching sessions.
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Some player allegedly jokingly likened Armas to fictional coach Ted Lasso - a hapless American parachuted in to manage AFC Richmond.
Nevertheless, the American has since stressed he and the United players enjoyed a good relationship.
Speaking to the Crack podcast, he said: “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.
"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."
Topics: Football, Leeds United, Manchester United, Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson