When Huddersfield Town plan on sealing deal for Liam Manning to replace Lee Grant | OneFootball

Huddersfield Town are closing in on the appointment of Liam Manning as their new manager, with an announcement expected in the coming days.

Huddersfield Town are reportedly closing in on the appointment of former Bristol City and Norwich City head coach Liam Manning as their new manager.

That's according to journalist Pete O'Rourke, who claims that Manning is on the verge of taking over at Huddersfield, and a more exact timeline of the impending appointment has now emerged.

The Terriers have been on the hunt for a new manager since parting company with Lee Grant on Saturday night, with the 42-year-old departing after almost eight months in charge at the Accu Stadium.

Pressure had been building on Grant in recent months amid his side's inconsistent form, and after Saturday's 3-1 defeat to struggling Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium extended Town's winless run to four league games, owner Kevin Nagle decided to make a managerial change.

Huddersfield currently sit sixth in the League One table, but they are 10 points behind second-placed Lincoln City and 16 points behind leaders Cardiff City having played a game more than the pair, and Manning looks set to be tasked with getting their promotion push back on track.

Huddersfield Town set to appoint Liam Manning as Lee Grant replacement

Grant may only have been sacked on Saturday night, but Huddersfield have wasted no time in finding his replacement, and it appears Manning is now set to take over at the Accu Stadium. Indeed, a deal may be imminent, with the club hopeful of announcing his appointment "early this week".

Manning has been out of work since leaving Norwich City in November after a nightmare spell at Carrow Road that saw him win just three of his 17 games in charge, drawing three and losing 11.

However, while Manning's time with the Canaries did not go to plan, he did lead Bristol City to the Championship play-offs for the first time since 2008 last season before his side suffered a 6-0 aggregate defeat to Sheffield United in the semi-finals.

While Manning has spent the past few years in the second tier, he also has plenty of League One experience under his belt, and his first senior managerial role in England came with MK Dons, who he led to a third-placed finish in the division in the 2021-22 season.

After leaving Stadium MK, Manning took over at Oxford United, and after saving the U's from relegation in the 2022-23 campaign, he transformed them into automatic promotion contenders the following season before departing to take over at Bristol City.

Over two months on from his dismissal by Norwich, it seems Manning is preparing to make a return to management with Huddersfield, and his arrival could be confirmed in the coming days.

Imminent Liam Manning appointment is a big coup for Huddersfield Town

It is fair to say that Nagle has made his fair share of managerial mistakes as Huddersfield owner, and there will be plenty of scrutiny on the American as he closes in on the sixth permanent manager of his tenure.

The appointment of Manning is not without risks for the Terriers after his disappointing stint at Norwich, but while it is difficult to understand why the 40-year-old failed so badly at Carrow Road, it was the first major blip in what has been an otherwise promising managerial career.

Manning led both MK Dons and Oxford into automatic promotion contention during his time in charge, which suggests he is more than capable of managing at League One level, and it is a statement of intent from Town to convince him to drop back down to the third tier.