Burnley favourite Michael Duff confirmed as new boss of League One newcomers

The 46-year-old was said to be in the running for both the Huddersfield job as well as the vacancy at his previous club Barnsley.

However it’s the Terriers who have snapped him up, tying Duff down to a three-year deal.

The former defender will now be tasked with masterminding Huddersfield’s instant return to the Championship after they were relegated to the third tier alongside Rotherham United and Birmingham City.

“As soon as discussions started with the club, I wanted to jump at the chance to be head coach of Huddersfield Town,” Duff said in a statement.

“Since leaving my last role, I’ve had time to reflect, recharge and focus on what the next challenge I wanted to take on would look like. Whatever was to come had to be right and be a good fit and that is exactly what this feels like.

“I know that our supporters expect a certain level of commitment, desire, high energy and passion from their play, and those are the high standards I’ve kept for all of my sides.

“I know the club, the area and the fans from having crossed paths in the past, but now I want to get to know them properly from a place of belonging - and above all else, I want our supporters to have pride in their team again.

“This is a special club with a magnificent history and exciting future, so it’s a real honour to have the opportunity to be part of that.”

Duff, who made almost 350 appearances for Burnley between 2004 and 2016, has been out of work since being sacked by Swansea City in December of last year.

He originally began his coaching career with Burnley’s academy in 2016, first leading the club’s Under-18 squad before moving up to take charge of the Under-23 side.

His first senior position came with Cheltenham Town, where he enjoyed a four-year spell, winning automatic promotion from League Two during the 2020/21 season.

Following on from that, he led Barnsley to the League One play-off final during the 2022/23 season where they were narrowly edged out by Sheffield Wednesday.