Ex-Leeds United manager joins Championship rivals after shock opening-weekend exit

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Leeds United will go up against their former boss in December.

Preston North End have confirmed the appointment of former Leeds United manager Paul Heckingbottom, following Ryan Lowe’s shock exit last week.

Lowe and Preston parted ways ‘by mutual consent’ last Monday, following their opening-day 2-0 defeat at home to Sheffield United after which the manager was booed by sections of the fanbase. A second defeat at Swansea City has forced the Championship club to act swiftly, with out-of-work Heckingbottom snapped up.

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“I’m really delighted with it, ready to go, and champing at the bit really,” Heckingbottom told Preston’s website after his appointment was confirmed. “It’s a club I know well for lots of reasons and a league I know well, so it was a pretty easy decision.

“Experience is key. Knowing the players helps, and then having success in this league helps, so we know what it takes to compete. We know what it takes to do well and you can give that clear direction to try and get there, and that’s the aim.

“The short-term goals are to get back on track. Longer term, we want to be a really, really competitive team in this league. We want to play in a way the fans can enjoy and in a way that gets the best out of the players, and when you get that it can be really powerful.”

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Heckingbottom has been available since being sacked by Sheffield United in December 2023, leaving them bottom of the Premier League, but he led the Blades to promotion the prior season. The 47-year-old’s spell at Elland Road was brief, having replaced Thomas Christiansen in February 2018 before leaving the following summer.

Leeds tied Heckingbottom down to an 18-month contract when they plucked him from League One Barnsley, but a disappointing 13th-place provided little encouragement and owner Andrea Radrizzani had plans to replace him. Heckingbottom was let go in the summer of 2018, after just four months in charge, with Marcelo Bielsa succeeding him to great effect.

The South Yorkshire native won four of his 16 games in charge of Leeds and spent nine months in Scotland with Hibernian before moving to Sheffield United. His role at Preston begins with the visit of newly-relegated Luton Town, who have just one point from their first two games, on Saturday.

Heckingbottom’s success at Deepdale will be of some significance to Leeds, who have young attacking midfielder Sam Greenwood on loan there. Greenwood’s season-long spell at Preston comes with an option to buy, as was present in his move to Middlesbrough last summer, and the 22-year-old will be keen to find a permanent home after failing to nail down a first-team spot under Daniel Farke.

Leeds go to Preston, where they lost 2-1 last season after going down to 10 men, on December 14 and Heckingbottom will be back at Elland Road for the reverse fixture on April 12.

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