What Sheffield United 'consultant' Aidy Boothroyd said about return to management after England U21 experiences

Boothroyd, formerly boss of Watford and Northampton amongst other clubs, joined United on a consultancy basis earlier this season after his time in charge of England’s U21s came to an end.

The talented crop of young lions had failed to reach the European Championship quarter-finals, and Boothroyd left in April 2021. He was unveiled as a “coach mentor and consultant” during an academy reshuffle in January, working with academy boss Derek Geary and U23s coach Michael Collins.

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“I’ve gone from being the rookie manager that gets a team into the Premier League at 34, to the guy that’s got a little bit of grey hair who’s there on the shoulder of two young coaches that are trying to progress and giving them my support and my experience,” Boothroyd said in an interview with The Athletic, before acknowledging he wants to make a return to the dugout in his own right.

“I absolutely do. It is important to acknowledge I’ve been given an opportunity [at Sheffield] - my dog was getting sick of being walked and certainly my wife was sick of me being at home.

“But, like all managers, it gets to a point where you miss it and you want to come back. I love being there to support the coaches and the players in Sheffield, but I am a head coach. I am a developer.

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“I’ve had a couple of really good offers. I’ve hit the post on a couple of opportunities and I’m looking a little bit further afield now. I will be back, for definite. When that is, where it will be, I can’t really say. But I’m open to broadening my horizons even more.”

Aware that they cannot compete financially with category-one clubs in the region, United appointed Boothroyd as part of their bid to become attractive to top young talent by being seen as a development club – where they will get a chance in the first-team perhaps earlier than at those higher up the pyramid, and progress their careers from there.

“When you’re working for the FA, and for England, the job does have a lifespan,” Boothroyd said of his U21s experience, where he worked with the likes of Rhian Brewster, Morgan Gibbs-White and Aaron Ramsdale.

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“It was the right time for me to go and it was all very amicable. Things came to a natural end and that was it for me. But I’m not one of these people that comes out and bashes the FA. I had a brilliant time. I learned plenty of things. And we were successful. I was part of that and I’m very proud.”

“Now, I’m a little bit more reflective and a little bit more worldly-wise than I was,” he added.

“I’ve squeezed a lot out of my career so far and I’m ready for the next chapter.”

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