Ryan Kent may come up against his former boss this weekend when Bristol City travel to face Leeds United.
It was this time last week when Heckingbottom emerged as the clear favourite to succeed Thomas Christiansen at Leeds shortly after the latter’s departure in the wake of the heavy home defeat to Cardiff City.
Things have not got off to the best start for Heckingbottom, with Leeds losing 2-1 away at Sheffield United in his first game in charge. But Kent – who played under the 40-year-old during a loan spell at Oakwell last season, and was actually a Leeds target during the January transfer window, according to The Sun on Sunday (print edition; 31st December 2017; page 61) – has suggested that he is full of admiration for his old manager.
“Yeah, he was a fantastic manager,” he told the Bristol Post.
“That was probably my biggest season so far in terms of development. He really allowed me to go and express myself and I wish him all the best at Leeds.”
Of course, Kent will be hoping that he will contribute to extending Heckingbottom’s wait for his first win this weekend as Lee Johnson’s men travel to Yorkshire looking for only their second win since the turn of the year.
In Leeds, they are facing a side in even worse form. The Whites have not tasted victory since Boxing Day and now find themselves eight points back of the top six in the Championship.
What will give Heckingbottom plenty of hope however, is that Leeds produced one of their performances of the season in the previous meeting between the two teams, as the Whites ran out 3-0 winners at Ashton Gate back in October.
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