After leaving Leeds, Pep Clotet joined Oxford as manager rather than moving to Middlesbrough with Garry Monk.
Clotet worked as assistant coach to Monk at Swansea City and then Leeds United last season.
The duo were a popular tandem at Leeds as they led the club to seventh place, narrowly missing out on the play-offs.
When Garry Monk elected to move on this summer and become manager of Championship rivals Middlesbrough, Clotet decided to pursue his own ambitions in League One.
He said: “We became really good friends, because we went through a lot together, in Swansea and in Leeds. We fought a lot of good and bad moments together, and tried to make the best of the positions we were put in.
“So we had a beer, and I said, ‘Should I take a team [as manager], what do you think?’ It was something that I felt inside I wanted to do.
“He said he thought I should do it, I think Garry took the decision of letting me go, as a friend, and I will always respect him for that.”
He added that he felt the pair had left Leeds United in a better place as a club than they arrived.
“It’s the second year in League One [at Oxford], and it’s not an easy competition, but there’s some fundamentals — just as we left at Leeds — a solid background, that can help the club go forward.”
At this early stage, Clotet’s decision to join Oxford United has been a positive one.
They have two wins out of two and sit joint top of the League One table.
Garry Monk’s Middlesbrough have won one and lost one in the Championship, but are among the favourites for promotion.
The two teams drew when they faced off in a pre-season friendly earlier this summer.
Clotet could very well end up taking on Monk in a game which matters next season if he can lead Oxford to promotion.
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