Leighton Baines is a future Everton manager with the one-time left-back now in charge of the Premier League club’s U18 side, former Goodison Park chief Danny Donachie tells The Athletic.
It’s testament to how highly Baines is regarded on Merseyside – not just as a man but as a mind too – that the ex-England international was immediately handed a behind-the-scenes role when bringing down the curtain on his playing career at the end of 2019/20.
Baines’ side are currently sixth in the U18 Premier League table; fellow coach Paul Tait highlighting the 38-year-old’s attention to detail as he gets used to an all-new role.
“Leighton is such a professional and has got such high standards,” Tait says. “He’s carrying that over into his role now. He is meticulous in his planning.
“He’s very detailed for someone who hasn’t coached very long. He has obviously carried that over from his playing career. And, most importantly, he also is a really good guy.”
Is Leighton Baines really a future Everton manager?
In an era where the likes of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard have stepped into the Premier League dugout, Baines may one day be following in the footsteps of his former Three Lions team-mates.
“Leighton is a special person,” says Donachie, who was the director of medical services at Goodison until recently.
“It’s not easy being a footballer. But he was still able to do it and be caring to those around him. I’ve got no doubt he’s having a big impact.
“I know his coaching is going well, and he’s going to be an Everton manager in the future. The beauty of him is he’d never admit to that as a possibility as he’s humble.
“The modern coach has to be like this. Now you communicate a lot more, players come to you a lot more.”
Baines is not the only former Everton defender honing his talents in the dugout these days. John Heitinga, who spent five years in blue between 2009 and 2014, has catapulted Ajax straight back into the Eredivisie title race after taking interim charge at the Johan Cryuff Arena.
Heitinga, promoted from the reserves to the top job, has five wins out of seven since replacing Alfred Schreuder.
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