Ex-Leeds United goalscoring hero masterminds friendly win for club over World Cup hosts Qatar

Healy's men were 1-0 winners in the practice match in Marbella thanks to a first half goal from striker Chris McKee.

Linfield won the Irish Premiership title last season to secure a place in the Champions League first qualifying round and hand Healy the fifth league title of his managerial reign at Windsor Park.

The South Belfast club, who are training in Spain for next month's start of the European football calendar, published a team sheet that showed Qatar's team boasted several starting players who also featured in March's goalless stalemate with Slovenia.

Qatar will host the World Cup in November and face Ecuador, Senegal and Netherlands in Group A.

Healy, who arrived at Elland Road in 2004, became a cult hero thanks to 31 goals in 121 appearances, only 89 of which were starts. The Northern Ireland international and record goalscorer was a £650,000 purchase from Preston North End.

Leeds have a link to Linfield at Thorp Arch currently in the shape of teenage midfielder Charlie Allen who made the move from Windsor Park to Elland Road in August 2020 and penned his first professional contract in December of that year. Allen became Linfield's youngest ever debutant when he played in a league game for the Blues aged 15 years, five months and five days.