Newcastle United U23s manager Neil Redfearn will step in and take training for the senior side until a new manager is appointed, according to the Shields Gazette.
The Magpies have been left without a boss after it was confirmed that Rafa Benitez will be leaving the club on Sunday, and it is understood that no appointment will be made prior to July 4th, when the first team reports back to begin their preparations for the new campaign.
As such, 54-year-old Redfearn, who has previously managed Leeds United, will be asked to step up on a temporary basis alongside academy head of coaching Ben Dawson.
OPINION
This kind of thing almost feels like a bit of a formality. As soon as it was announced that Benitez was leaving Tyneside, everybody cast one eye to the calendar and realised that the likelihood of a permanent boss being found by then was pretty minimal. It makes sense to let Redfearn take the wheel for now, and at the very least it means that the first team will get a decent start to their preseason under their belts prior to a new boss coming in. That being said, the longer that this debacle carries on, and the closer to that opening fixture against Arsenal on August 11th that we get, the less time a new manager will have to mould this squad into his own image, and the more upheaval it will create. The aim is clearly to get somebody in as soon as possible, but given the shambolic way that the club is run sometimes, don’t bet against Redfearn being the one to shake Unai Emery’s hand at St. James’ Park in August.
