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Troy Deeney has been texting new Leeds United boss Javi Gracia to offer his help when the Spaniard returns to the Premier League.

The pair were together at Watford before the manager was sacked just months after leading the club to the FA Cup final at the end of the 2018/19 season.

And Deeney is now confident that the Whites will beat relegation with his former manager in charge because of how intimidating Elland Road is on high-stakes days.

The Birmingham City captain wrote in a column to The Sun: “I have been texting him recently and he is very excited and very grateful for the opportunity.

“I follow quite a few Leeds pages on Twitter because my dad used to be a fan at the time, so I have a vested interest.

“I asked Javi if there was anything I could do to help, even if it was to make him understand how great the club is.

“When his name was mentioned at the beginning I was quite surprised. Then the more I thought about it and looked at it, it makes absolute sense…

“Now I think Leeds have a great chance to stay awake. Can you imagine what it’s going to be like as an opposition player when you’ve got Elland Road swinging and it’s a must-win game?

“No thanks. It will be so intimidating.

Impressed

With the search for a successor to Jesse Marsch tottering among the candidates for so long, including the near-appointment of former Ajax boss Alfred Schreuder before an angry backlash from fans, there has been very little backlash to Gracia’s arrival. from wherever.

The fact that the board still managed to make such a test by waiting two weeks after originally making contact before deciding to bring him in, risking him not being able to take charge of a 1-0 win over Southampton on Saturday (February 25) due to His work permit was far from perfect.

But the assessment of the 52-year-old’s merits as manager and the chance he will give Leeds United to overcome relegation has been very positive.

Deeney has seen his fair share of managers come and go at Vicarage Road and is usually not afraid to speak his mind, but his endorsement is pretty clear.

Things got off to a perfect, if nervous, start with victory over the Saints at Elland Road in Gracia’s opener, with Junior Firpo the unlikely figure to inspire the team to three points.

That result lifted the Whites out of the relegation zone and provided a much-needed platform from which the new manager can work to move away from the bottom three.

In other Leeds United news, one of the club’s favorites ran into trouble amid the “chaos” during the game despite leaving a quarter of an hour early.

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