The surprise new job ex-Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest star Michael Hefele has landed | OneFootball

Former Terriers fan favourite Hefele has followed an ex-Forest manager into his new managerial role

Huddersfield Town fans will always fondly remember Michael Hefele for his time at the club as a warrior of a defender, and as one of the promotion-winners of the 2016-17 season.

Brought to the club by David Wagner in the summer of 2016 from Dynamo Dresden, Hefele was a regular fixture in the Championship in his debut years with the Terriers, appearing 37 times in the regular season and quite memorably scored a last minute winner against West Yorkshire rivals Leeds United at the John Smith's Stadium.

Hefele would play every single minute of the Championship play-off winning campaign, where Town defeated Reading at Wembley in the final on penalties, but the club's debut Premier League season would see him not only drop down the pecking order, but suffer a number of injuries which would reduce his playing time to just two top flight outings.

That would be the last Huddersfield fans would see of the German in a playing capacity, as he sealed a move to Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2018, but 18 appearances and three years into his City Ground contract, Hefele would retire from his on-pitch career.

Huddersfield Town hero Michael Hefele lands new coahcing role alongside ex-Nottingham Forest boss

It would be a quick move into coaching for Hefele though, who returned to Huddersfield one day after his retirement in a role that combined work with the first-team alongside a more ambassadorial role at the Terriers.

That would last over a year before he joined Carlos Corberan at West Brom in late 2022, but in 2024 he would leave the Spaniard to join up with a former manager in Sabri Lamouchi, whom he had as a Forest player, and assisted him at Saudi outfit Al-Riyadh, and then late Al-Diraiyah.

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Now, Hefele has landed a new intriguing role, in what could be seen as a step up in his coaching career, as he's once again joined forces with Lamouchi to take charge of the Tunisian national team, where he will be the assistant to the ex-Cardiff City boss.

Tunisia were eliminated in the Round of 16 at the recent African Cup of Nations by Mali, and ahead of the FIFA World Cup, they've dismissed Sami Trabelsi from his role and handed the job to Lamouchi and Hefele, with the latter posting a message to the country's fans.

Huddersfield Town fans will be happy to see Michael Hefele thriving

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Even though his impact was only really felt at the club for one season, Huddersfield's fanbase feels a great deal for Michael Hefele, and his return in a coaching role following retirement was welcomed.

It was a shame that Wagner not only went in a different direction with his defence upon Premier League promotion in 2017, with summer addition Mathias Jørgensen usurping Hefele from his starting position, but that injuries would take over the German's career and bring it to a premature end.

He's found a good career for himself though on the coaching side of things, and he will get to experience the FIFA World Cup for the very first time in the summer, in what will be a big career moment.