What Nuno previously said about Rodrigo amid Leeds manager links

Add as preferred source on Google

As candidates seemingly fall by the wayside on a consistent basis over the last few days, Nuno Espirito Santo appears to remain in the hunt to become the next manager of Leeds United.

The Daily Mirror (8/2; page 52) suggested last week that Nuno is in contention for the Elland Road post. And as the list seemingly gets smaller and smaller, the likelihood of the Portuguese taking over potentially increases.

Nuno is currently employed. He took a job with Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia last summer. But he has previously worked in the Premier League, with both Wolves and Tottenham Hotspur.

Nuno in contention for Leeds job

It would be a gamble to appoint Nuno given how his time with Spurs ended. But he would not be completely unfamiliar with some of the Leeds squad if he came in.

He signed Helder Costa on loan in the summer, having previously managed him at Molineux. Meanwhile, he also worked with Rodrigo at Valencia.

And it seems that the £26 million forward would relish the chance to be reunited with Nuno.

Nuno spoke about potentially coming up against the two players ahead of a Wolves clash with Leeds in 2020. And he was full of praise for the pair.

“It will be a pleasure to see both Rodrigo and Helder again. I have bonds with them that will last forever. It gave me enormous pleasure, working with them both,” he said, as reported by Leeds Live.

“They are two fantastic players. Talented players. We will have to be careful with them on Monday night, but then all the Leeds players are dangerous.”

Of course, if he takes the job, he may not work with Costa again. It is hard to imagine the winger playing for the Whites in the future.

And Rodrigo is set to be sidelined for some time with injury. But Leeds need someone to lift the mood with a relegation battle on the cards.

Nuno has his limitations as a coach. Clearly, he was not the preferred candidate for the role, for the fans or the club.

But as more and more names seemingly rule themselves out, Nuno is becoming a more appealing option. And that experience of working with Rodrigo may just help him a little bit if he does now come in.