Young coach declines European options to become Leeds United's new assistant to Jesse Marsch

Maric, who is just 29 years old, rose to prominence at Red Bull Salzburg, initially as a youth coach in 2016 and then as assistant head coach between 2017 and 2019.

The Austrian, who began his coaching career at TSU Handenberg, worked with German boss Marco Rose at Salzburg as the Austrians reached the Europa League semi-finals.

Maric then joined Rose at Borussia Monchengladbach at the start of the 2019-20 campaign before the pair later headed to Borussia Dortmund for the 2021-22 season.

The duo then left the club after a second-placed finish but Maric now joins Whites head coach Jesse Marsch’s backroom staff alongside Ewan Sharp, Mark Jackson and Cameron Toshack.

The appointment is subject to work permits.

Marsch said: “I’ve known René for a number of years and we’ve stayed in contact for a long time now.

"While we haven’t worked together before, we do know each other well and I believe he is the perfect fit for an assistant head coach.

“Our footballing philosophies are very similar, and he will be a really welcome addition to the team, working alongside Mark Jackson, Ewan Sharp and Cameron Toshack.”

Director of Football Victor Orta added: “I am really pleased to see René pick us over several other options he had to choose from across Europe.

“We interviewed numerous candidates over the summer but as soon as we knew René was available and interested, we set our sights on bringing him in to support Jesse.

"He’s a top quality coach and I believe he can create successful partnerships alongside the exciting staff.”