Who is Rene Maric? Leeds United expected to announce Jesse Marsch's young, new assistant

Leeds hope to be supplemented by a new face in the home dugout against Wolverhampton Wanderers in two weeks as the club prepare to announce another new arrival.

Jesse Marsch added to his backroom team earlier this month with the signings of fitness coach and analyst Pierre Barrieu as well as former Manchester United assistant Ewan Sharp.

Now, The Athletic report Leeds are close to appointing René Marić as the team’s new assistant head coach.

Most recently with German side Borussia Dortmund, Marić is another coach with a Red Bull background having worked at Red Bull Salzburg between 2016 and 2019.

He has functioned as assistant to German manager Marco Rose in each of his three most recent posts, at Dortmund, Borussia Monchengladbach and Red Bull Salzburg, stretching back to 2017.

Prior to that, he worked with Red Bull Salzburg’s Under-18 squad and arrives at Leeds an innovative thinker with a growing reputation in European football despite his young years.

Marić turns 30 in September but has already amassed a throng of coaching qualifications, including his A Licence, awarded by UEFA.

The Austrian founded popular football tactics forum Spielverlagerung, which directly translates in English to ‘gameshift’ – a platform where articles on tactical concepts and ideas are shared among the brightest young minds in the game.

Speaking in his post-match press conference following Leeds’ 1-1 pre-season draw with Crystal Palace, Jesse Marsch sought assistance from a Leeds United press officer when answering a question about Marić’s anticipated arrival.

"What can I say about that?” he queried, before adding with a smirk: “More later this week, but I know who René is”.

Marić is expected to join Mark Jackson and Cameron Toshack in Marsch’s backroom team after the pair renewed their contracts earlier this summer.