Neil Warnock returns to management aged 74 with Huddersfield

Neil Warnock has come out of retirement and made a shock return to management at Huddersfield. The 74-year-old, whose last job was at Middlesbrough, walked away from the game last April, but has been lured back in by the prospect of keeping Huddersfield in the Championship. Warnock will take charge on Thursday after returning from a holiday in the United States.

In 2021, Warnock broke the 1,601-game record for most matches managed in English professional football. He has signed a deal until the end of the season, similar to the one he agreed at Rotherham in 2016, when he kept the club in the second tier. Huddersfield, who host Stoke on Wednesday, are 23rd in the Championship, a point from safety. The interim manager, Narcis Pelach, will take charge of Wednesday’s game.

Warnock managed Huddersfield between 1993 and 1995, winning promotion to the second tier via the playoffs and his appointment is likely to be popular among supporters. Warnock will be assisted by his longstanding confidant Ronnie Jepson, who played under Warnock at Huddersfield in the 90s.

Warnock left Middlesbrough in November 2021 and announced in a Sky Sports interview five months later that it was “the right time” to retire. He started his managerial career at Gainsborough Trinity in 1980 and has been in charge at 16 clubs in a highly successful career that includes eight promotions. He is Huddersfield’s third appointment of the season after they sacked Danny Schofield in September after nine games and Mark Fotheringham last Wednesday.

“I’m really excited about this challenge,” Warnock said. “My first spell at Huddersfield Town had everything; we went to Wembley twice, moved into the new stadium and really built the club from nothing. It was a special time.

“I’m coming back to help the club, but also [the chairman] Dean Hoyle. I know what he has done behind the scenes and I’ve always had a lot of time for him. I’ve looked at the fixtures and we’ve got some fantastic games to come. I want to come back and put smiles on faces.”