Angus Kinnear comments on ex-Leeds boss Garry Monk’s upcoming return

Follow us on Google Discover

Garry Monk returns to Elland Road this weekend when Leeds United take on his Middlesbrough side in the Championship.

Angus Kinnear has told BBC Radio Leeds that Garry Monk made it clear that he did not want to stay at Leeds in the summer, but added that the Whites are not focusing on their old boss’ return to Elland Road this weekend.

Leeds return to Championship action on Sunday and will be hoping to get their season back on track after an incredibly poor run of form heading into the international break.

But Thomas Christiansen’s men’s form does not look likely to be the main sub-plot ahead of the upcoming Yorkshire derby, as the contest will represent Monk’s first return to Leeds since his summer departure.

His exit caught most people by surprise given the promise the club showed during his year in charge, and the lack of clarity regarding the circumstances of his departure meant that when he ended up taking the job at Middlesbrough, many of the supporters who had cheered him the previous year almost felt betrayed.

But while Monk’s return may be a key narrative for Boro’s trip to Elland Road this weekend, Kinnear insisted that Leeds do not view the game that way and suggested that the Whites are not dwelling on what happened in the events leading to Monk’s departure.

“With regards to Garry’s return, it’s not something we focus on. Garry made it fairly clear he didn’t want to be part of Leeds United and we wished him well and all the best in the future. But at that point, we stopped thinking about him because our focus is on thinking about people who want to be at Leeds United, and there are plenty of people who want to be here,” he told BBC Radio Leeds.