Stockport County man poised for shock Real Madrid move | OneFootball

Hatters coach Andy Mangan looks set to swap Edgeley Park for the Spanish capital

Stockport County coach Andy Mangan is being linked to a sensational move to Real Madrid, where he would become a part of Carlo Ancelotti's backroom staff in the Spanish capital.

This is according to Alan Nixon via Patreon, who is reporting that the former Bristol Rovers caretaker manager is all set for a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

An EFL and National League stalwart, Mangan played over 300 games for various clubs in the fifth, fourth and third tier of English football - most notably at Fleetwood Town, where he managed 24 goals and 18 assists in 59 games.

After moving into coaching with the Cod Army in 2018, initially as a youth coach before moving up to the first-team, Mangan ended up following Joey Barton to Bristol Rovers, and even took caretaker charge of the Gas last year for seven matches.

Mangan only joined Stockport last month as part of a coaching restructure at Edgeley Park, in which he would be taking the lead on the attacking side of things in training, but he could now be set for a quick departure.

Andy Mangan to Real Madrid latest

Nixon believes that Mangan is on the verge of a move to Madrid, where he will have a role within Ancelotti's staff.

What position he will take up is currently unclear, but given his limited experience in coaching so far, you can imagine he will just be delighted to be around the club.

Many will be wondering how this move came about, but Nixon has revealed that Davide Ancelotti, the son of the renowned manager, attended a coaching course with the former Shrewsbury Town striker and subsequently recommended him to his father.

For Mangan, this admiration will come as hope that he can have a real career in coaching, with an appraisal of the highest form coming from Davide.

However, Stockport will undoubtedly be disappointed to see him depart, especially as their attacking coach only joined them in pre-season.

For Mangan, a move to Real Madrid represents an opportunity to take his coaching to another level.

Learning from the likes of Ancelotti will undoubtedly benefit him, offering Mangan a fresh perspective on management.

A return to England would likely always be on the cards in the future, and this opportunity will take his CV to another level.

At 37 years of age, he still has plenty to learn, so rushing into a leading role at a club doesn't make sense currently. This extra step will continue to build his experience and, in a few years, we could be talking about one of the best coaching talents from England.

This move could prove the perfect stepping stone, and coaching the likes of Kylian Mbappé alongside Vinícius Júnior will be difficult to turn down.

We have seen lower league players have successful coaching careers before, and Mangan only has to look to another lower league stalwart in Anthony Barry to know that he can make it at the top level.

Barry played for the likes of Fleetwood himself, as well as Yeovil Town, Accrington Stanley and Chester City, but is now at Portugal as assistant to Roberto Martinez, and has also been at Bayern Munich and Chelsea - this should be what Mangan is looking at as he gets set to jet off to Madrid.