Manchester United have lost youth coach David Hughes after he agreed to become the new Newport County manager in May.
Ruben Amorim is staying at Manchester United despite testing start to life at Old Trafford.
United lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur, and finished 15th in the Premier League table in a fairly torrid campaign.
Amorim will stay put, but United have lost a couple of members of staff from the youth setup.
Adam Lawrence is moving on from United, while Under-21 assistant David Hughes has quit his post at Old Trafford to become Newport County boss.
Photo by Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images
Newport County on hiring Manchester United’s David Hughes
Hughes became Under-21 assistant coach at United in 2022, departing Cardiff City to complete his move to Manchester.
The former Shrewsbury Town defender had previously been with Aston Villa and Southampton, before taking on a key role at United.
Now 47, Hughes has decided to quit United and take on a new managerial job with League Two side Newport County.
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Hughes has previously managed Barry Town, but that was over 20 years ago and long before he had coached in top academy setups.
The Welshman will hope to take Newport forward, and the League Two outfit are simply delighted to land his services.
Newport chairman Huw Jenkins has told the club’s official website that he has no concerns about Hughes’ lack of managerial experience.
Jenkins wanted a ‘bright, talented coach’ and feels Hughes is the ideal man for the job having ‘built strong contacts’ over the years.
Jenkins feels Hughes is ready for this role after his time at United, and feels he is definitely the right man for Newport.
“That’s never been a major concern for me. First and foremost, we wanted a bright, talented coach,” said Jenkins.
“David has great experience — from Cardiff, to the FAW, to Manchester United. While not at Football League level, he’s worked with a wide range of players, watched countless matches, built strong contacts, and gained real insight into the game.
“Newport County is about giving people a platform. David is at the right stage of his career to step up, and after many discussions, it was clear he was the right fit. Importantly, his knowledge of our current squad is excellent, which puts us in a strong position to build,” he added.
David Hughes could explore Manchester United loans
Jenkins highlighted Hughes’ connections, and he will certainly have a direct line to United.
United are more than willing to send players on loan to League Two and we saw Ethan Williams shine for Cheltenham Town earlier this year.
Rhys Bennett, Sonny Aljofree, Ethan Ennis, Joe Hugill, Ethan Wheatley, Louis Jackson and Sam Mather all headed to League Two as well.
Some of those moves didn’t really work out, and United may well believe sending some talents to work under Hughes again can aid their development.
That sounds like something Newport will explore this summer, with United surely willing to aid Hughes’ first season in the Newport dugout.