Skubala named Leeds United U21s Head Coach
Written by Training Ground Guru — July 28, 2022
FORMER England futsal Head Coach Michael Skubala has been appointed Under-21s boss at Leeds United.
He replaces Mark Jackson, who led the U23s before being promoted to the first-team set-up under Jesse Marsch last season (Premier League 2 has changed from an U23s to U21s competition from next season).
Skubala was Head Coach and Elite Performance Manager for England futsal from January 2017 until it was disbanded towards the end of 2020.
He was retained by The FA after that though and has been working with the England U18s for the last 18 months. Prior to working with The FA Skubala was the Director of Football at Loughborough University for four years.
His assistant at Leeds will be Michal Pudjak, who who remains in place as U21s assistant.
Leeds Director of Football Victor Orta said: “The role of Head Coach within the Under-21 side is clearly an important role at a club that sees so many players progress into the first team.
“We interviewed candidates from across the world over the course of the summer, but the work Michael has done within the FA, alongside his ambitious plans for the group, gave him the edge and we are really pleased to welcome him to the club.”
Head of Academy Adam Underwood added: “This is another clear sign of progression for our Academy. The Academy at Leeds United is a key part of our DNA and we believe that Michael is the best possible candidate to improve the group he will be working with, whilst preparing them to make the step up to becoming first-team players’.
Skubala will take training for the first time on Monday next week as the team prepare for their Premier League 2 Division 2 season getting underway.