Lee Grant feels Man Utd and Ipswich experience has made him ready for management

Independent

2 days ago

Lee Grant is ready and raring for his first match in management as the Huddersfield boss utilises the 'gold dust' picked up at Manchester United and priceless period working for Kieran McKenna's Ipswich.
Saturday's game against Leyton Orient marks the start of an exciting chapter in the former goalkeeper's life after 12 years soaking up information and working fastidiously to become a manager.
Grant joined Huddersfield after three years as assistant coach at Ipswich, where he helped McKenna's side secure back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League.
The relegated Tractor Boys are well placed to win a third promotion in four years, but the 42-year-old had no hesitation in dropping back to the third tier when the Terriers came calling.
'By the time I was 30 I was convinced that I was going to go and be a manager,' Grant told the PA news agency.
'I was so excited for the opportunity that even though there was never a day where I could see myself leaving (Ipswich), the minute the opportunity came it was, boom, like laser focus. Blinkered. I didn't give it a minute's thought.
'There was one decision to be made and I definitely feel like I've left with their best wishes, love and support.'
Grant has signed a three-year deal with Huddersfield, who he believes are on a 'fantastic footing' under an ambitious owner, Kevin Nagle, that has entrusted a first-time manager to lead their promotion charge.
'I feel very ready and I say that because of where I've been and who I've been really fortunate enough to be around,' he said.
'Because of what I've been exposed to in terms of work, process and detail, I don't feel like I could have had any better grounding.'
Grant played 500-plus matches before retiring in 2022 and joining Ipswich under former United coach McKenna – somebody he 'struggles to put anybody above' in terms of managers he has worked with.
That is high praise from someone who joined the Red Devils in 2018 under Jose Mourinho, quickly learning 'what it takes to be in a big monster' of a club in what he admits was effectively a player-coach role.
'It's just gold dust, isn't it?' said Grant, who played for Derby, Burnley, Oldham, Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke before four years at Old Trafford.
'I was in such a beautiful position. I feel guilty almost for saying it, but I could train really hard, do all the things that the club wanted me to do and lead and drive standards.
'Then I could take a step back and view things because I wasn't being selected to play every week. David de Gea and Sergio Romero were ahead of me in the pecking order.
'I spent four years listening, learning, studying, watching very closely, speaking to people, understanding why this player would tick or why he wouldn't tick, and being crude and just asking them, and enjoying getting that because you're in the middle of it.
'At that point I'm very much in the mode of 'I want to be a manager at some point', so it was all with a view on this stuff is going to help me.'
Grant's only United start – and ultimately the last competitive appearance of his career – came in a freezing Europa League game against Astana in 2019, when the boyhood fan was the 'happiest man in Kazakhstan'.
A similar excitement is palpable as he prepares for his first match in the dugout and seeks to translate invaluable experiences into success with Huddersfield.
The 42-year-old is unmoved by the fact Town are second favourites to go up and says they must 'earn everything' as he seeks to start their promotion bid, and his managerial career, on the right foot this weekend.
'I love coaching, I love football,' Grant added. 'I want to manage, help people and do that for as long as possible.
'I had 20-odd years as a player. I'd love to be sitting here in another 20 years saying 'this is wonderful, I'm really enjoying it, I love all the challenges that come my way as a manager'. That's the goal.'