Leeds United hero Pablo Hernandez is embarking on his maiden voyage as a first-team manager after being appointed as a caretaker boss in Spain.
The 40-year-old has been named as the caretaker boss of hometown club CD Castellon, who play in the second tier of Spanish football. Out of 22 teams, the club sit 20th having failed to win any of their five opening games. They sit on two points inside the four relegation spots.
The sacking of head coach Johan Plat was confirmed on Tuesday, with Hernandez stepping in as a temporary fill-in. Hernandez took charge of the club’s B team, which plays in the fourth tier, last July.
The former Spain international had returned to play for CD Castellon in 2021 before retiring two years later. He had already become a co-owner of the club before his return, having purchased a stake in 2017 alongside former Valencia teammate Angel Dealbert.
After overseeing the club’s promotion from the fifth tier in their first season, both players left their board roles in 2019 over disagreements with the team set-up, but remained as shareholders.
Shortly after Hernandez secured his cult hero status at Leeds when guiding them to their return to the Premier League in the 2019/20 season. He played 175 times for the Whites between 2016 and 2021, registering 36 goals and 41 assists.
Of course, his most famous strike came against former club Swansea City, with his last-gasp winner all but securing the club’s return to the top flight. Hernandez will oversee his first senior game as manager in Castellon’s trip to Cultural Leonesa on Saturday.
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