Rene Maric, 29, to join Leeds United as assistant manager - The Athletic 22/7/22

By Phil Hay

Leeds United are set to appoint former Borussia Dortmund assistant Rene Maric as Jesse Marsch’s No 2, The Athletic understands.

Maric is expected to link up with Marsch’s squad next week, completing the backroom team at Elland Road.

The 29-year-old has been out of the game since May following his exit from Dortmund alongside the club’s former manager, Marco Rose.

Rose and his staff were dismissed by Dortmund at the end of the Bundesliga season, despite securing a second-place finish in the table.

Early exits from the Champions League and the Europa League are thought to have contributed to the decision to replace them.

Despite his young age, Maric has held a number of high-profile roles in European football, including assistant boss at RB Salzburg before Marsch’s appointment there in 2019.

The Austrian spent two years with Borussia Monchengladbach between 2019 and 2021, again as Rose’s number two, before following him to Dortmund last summer.

Marsch has taken time to select a new assistant at Leeds having initially targeted fellow American Chris Armas to fill the post.

Armas, who was with Ralf Rangnick at Manchester United last season, is understood to have said no to the job for personal reasons.

Maric is now in line to replace Frankie Schiemer, who operated as Leeds’ assistant after Marsch’s arrival at Elland Road in February but has now taken up a consultancy role with the club instead.

Mark Jackson and Cameron Toshack, both of whom were with Marsch during the final 12 matches of last season, are continuing in their roles.

Ex-Manchester United employee Ewan Sharp has joined Leeds as an additional coach while Pierre Barrieu — formerly of Swansea City, Sheffield Wednesday and New York Red Bulls — was appointed as fitness coach earlier this month.