Pablo Hernandez reveals Leeds United management 'dream' amid heartfelt Kalvin Phillips 'hope'

Pablo Hernandez dreams of managing the likes of Valencia or Leeds United but refuses to look that far ahead, with focus on developing in his first managerial role.

Hernandez was appointed as head coach of CD Castellón’s B team in June, taking his first steps into management with the club he supported as a child. The 39-year-old moved back to Castalia from Leeds in 2021 and has occupied a number of roles within the club as his playing days wound down.

Castellón’s B team are in the Tercera Federacion, Spanish football’s semi-professional fifth tier, with Hernandez starting from humble beginnings as he gets to grips with being in the dugout. But that doesn’t prevent the former playmaker from harbouring ambitions of elite-level coaching, with a return to one of his former clubs the dream scenario.

“Valencia and Leeds have been the clubs where I have spent the most time,” Hernandez told Flashscore. “Obviously, those two clubs, along with Club Deportivo Castellón, are very important to me. There were five years [at Leeds] where I felt very loved, very important, where I managed to get promoted to the Premier League and where, the truth is, I really enjoyed myself as a player.

Subscribe to Inside Elland Road, with Graham Smyth for unique, behind-the-scenes Leeds United coverage, expert analysis and exclusive interviews 

“Yes, obviously the clubs that are so important to me would be a dream [to manage], but it is something I am not considering at the moment. First, I want to learn a lot, I have a lot to learn, see if this is what really fulfils me and what I like, and in the future we will see what it holds.”

Hernandez remains a much-loved figure at Leeds, having played such a pivotal role in the 2019/20 Championship title-winning campaign. His decisive late winner at Swansea City has been immortalised in mural form, one of many pieces spread across the city acknowledging players from that incredible period.

Kalvin Phillips has a mural of his own and continued to impress in the Premier League, eventually catching the eye of Pep Guardiola and joining Manchester City in 2022. It’s been far from plain sailing since then, however, with the midfielder struggling for minutes, enduring a torrid loan spell at West Ham United and being dropped from the England squad.

Phillips joined Premier League new-boys Ipswich Town on loan in the summer and is starting to produce the kind of performances that earned him such high praise at Leeds. And Hernandez hopes to see his former teammate prove his worth to get another shot at City.

“He hasn't had the luck there; he hasn't had the opportunity to show his worth,” Hernandez added of Phillips. “We know the quality of the players there and in his position, too, because he has had Rodri, who has been a regular for Guardiola and who I think is the best midfielder in the world. Kalviin has had to look for minutes elsewhere, but he is a kid who is physically a plane, he is a bull and he plays football very well. Hopefully now he can get his career back on track, show his worth and return to City in the future.”