Newcastle United announce first appointment of Saudi era as new U23 manager is confirmed

Newcastle United have confirmed that appointment of Elliot Dickman, who has been named the club’s new Lead Player Development Coach for our U23 side.

The 43-year-old arrives from Sunderland, having spent 26 years on Wearside as a youth player, Academy coach and, since 2017, the manager of their U23’s.

As revealed in the club’s statement, Dickman oversaw the development ofLiverpool captain Jordan Henderson, England’s number one Jordan Pickford, Bordeaux’s Josh Maja and Republic of Ireland duo Conor Hourihane and John Egan during his time at the Academy of Light.

Dickman will take charge of the U23’s clash with Norwich City on Friday night and looks set to work alongside Steve Harper, Mark Atkinson, Neil Winskill at the club’s Academy.

Read Newcastle United’s official statement below, which features Dickman’s first words, along with Steve Harper’s reaction to the first major appointment of the Saudi regime (via NUFC.co.uk):

Newcastle United have appointed UEFA Pro-Licence coach Elliott Dickman as the new Lead Player Development Coach for the club’s under-23 side.​

The 43-year-old joins the Magpies’ Little Benton Academy from Sunderland, where he had worked his way through the ranks to become Under-23 Lead Coach and helped several young players progress into the Black Cats’ first team.

Dickman was himself a promising talent at the Academy of Light, having previously been on the books at Manchester United, but was forced to retire at the age of 20 with a persistent hip problem so threw himself into a coaching career at a young age.

After starting out with Sunderland’s under-eights more than 20 years ago, he took charge of their under-23 side in 2017 and has overseen the development of players including Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Bordeaux’s Josh Maja, as well Republic of Ireland internationals Conor Hourihane and John Egan.

Speaking about the appointment, Newcastle United’s Academy Manager Steve Harper said: “We’re delighted to bring Elliott to the club after a thorough recruitment process.

“Elliott is a meticulous coach with a real passion for the game, and he’s been an integral part of the success in developing players at Sunderland’s Academy over several years.

“In recent years he’s helped several players make that all-important jump from Academy football to the first team, and with the structures in place at our Academy and the ethos we’re looking to build here, we’re confident that he can help our young players follow in the footsteps of players like Sean and Matty Longstaff, Elliot Anderson and Kell Watts in making that big step for Newcastle United.”

Dickman – who will take charge of the Magpies’ under-23s for the first time against Norwich City on Friday night – added: “I am very excited to join Steve Harper, Mark Atkinson, Neil Winskill and the rest of the Academy staff.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to help develop and support Newcastle’s young players in their ambitions to reach first team football.

“The work that Steve and his team have implemented so far is very impressive and I can’t wait to get started.”

With the new owners placing a big emphasis on youth development, let’s hope Dickman can help a host of local talents make the step up to first-team level in the coming years.

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *