Official: United youth coach appointed manager of League Two club

adminUpdated May 24, 20251 Mins read349 Views

Newport County have confirmed the managerial appointment of Manchester United youth coach David Hughes.

Hughes joined United in August 2022 from Cardiff City, where he served as head of Academy. At Old Trafford, Hughes was the under-21s coach and assistant manager.

Before his stint at Cardiff, Hughes was manager of the Wales under-17s national team.

During his playing days, Hughes lined up for Aston Villa and made seven Premier League appearances. Injuries saw him retire very early, at 26. He also had spells at Carlisle United, Shrewsbury Town, and Cardiff City.

Nick Cox, United’s director of Academy, said about Hughes’ exit, “We are pleased to see Dave fulfil his ambition of becoming a first-team manager.”

“Dave has played an important part in the recent success of the Academy since, working closely with Travis Binnion on the development of several young players on their journeys towards the senior squads both at Manchester United, and elsewhere in the Football League or in Europe.”

“We are proud to have supported his development.”

“We have created an environment in which our staff can progress just as much as our players, and the number of our coaching alumni working in the Football League is a great sign of the quality of our work.”

Reacting to his appointment, Hughes remarked, “Leaving a great club like Manchester United is never easy, but I’m excited about what lies ahead here.”

“You build relationships with people and that makes decisions like this challenging.”

“But after speaking to the chairman on a few occasions, it became a straightforward decision in terms of the challenge ahead and the shared vision for the club.”

🤝 Newport County is delighted to announce the appointment of former @ManUtd coach David Hughes as the club’s new manager.

Welcome to Rodney Parade, Dave 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿#OneClubOneCounty

— Newport County AFC (@NewportCounty) May 23, 2025

Hughes will be joined at Rodney Parade by Wayne Hatswell as assistant manager and Lee Kendall as head of goalkeeping.

Derick Kinoti

Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!