Leeds United manager takes on Newcastle United this weekend.
Leeds United head coach Garry Monk plans to topple Championship leaders Newcastle United this weekend.
The Whites host Newcastle on Sunday in a keenly anticipated clash, with sixth place hosting first.
Newcastle is a club which Monk has plenty of admiration for, so much so that his comments about them earlier this year saw newspaper the Chronicle accuse him of ‘angling for the Newcastle job’.
Leeds United manager Garry Monk before the match
The article was in response to a Talksport interview from Monk in which he spoke glowingly about the Toon.
He said: “That stadium, for me, it’s my favourite stadium in the Premier League.
“I think it’s a fantastic stadium with the fans and everything like that, but whether Newcastle will take that as a pressure or not I don’t know.
“I think it’s been said for quite a number of years now – they’ve got the potential, they have everything there in terms of the size of the club to be at that top level.”
Leeds manager Garry Monk
Monk’s comments came while he was out of work and after Benitez’s appointment as manager, although there was uncertainty over whether the Spaniard would stay on.
Benitez’s Newcastle suffered relegation to the Championship and the former Real Madrid coach decided to stay on, and has steadied the ship, with the club on course to win automatic promotion back to the Premier League.
It’s doubtful Monk had any ulterior agenda behind his comments and was simply speaking honestly about a club he greatly admires. A cheeky newspaper headline? Never…
Leeds manager Garry Monk
In the months since, he has taken over as Leeds United head coach, hoping to fulfil the dreams of a fanbase comparable to Newcastle in terms of size and passion.
He has managed to get the Whites into the play-off places, but with the game taking place on Sunday, Leeds will likely head into the game outside the top six if teams below them win.
Given his early success at Leeds, its unlikely Monk would swap the Whites even for Newcastle’s envious position.
Leeds United’s manager Garry Monk
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
