Former Leeds United boss Neil Redfearn has been appointed as Newcastle United's new Under-23s head coach, as part of a Magpies shake-up.
The former midfielder enjoyed a substantial spell guiding talents through Leeds' academy, earning big plaudits for his developmental role, being praised for his role forming stars such as Lewis Cook, Sam Byram and Alex Mowatt.
Redfearn then went on to manage Leeds' senior team under controversial owner Massimo Cellino, before bouncing back from his departure to take over at Rotherham United. Now he is replacing Ben Dawson in the Under-23s head coach role at Newcastle.
The young Magpies reached the Premier League 2 playoff final and the Premier League Cup final last season, and Redfearn will be looking to make sure they continue to reach high standards.
Newcastle's appointment of Redfearn will see Dawson move up to become the academy's head of coaching, while Mark Atkinson will assist him, having switched from a coaching role at Sunderland.
The Magpies have made a number of changes at the club's academy, while former striker Shola Ameobi has been appointed loan coordinator.
Another notable move comes in the shape of former midfielder Ian Bogie moving from a part-time role with the Under-14s to the post of Under-16s lead coach.
The Magpies will be hoping their coaching shake-up at academy level can pay dividends when it comes to developing talents and then guiding them into the first team set-up.
