Stewart Downing, a former winger for Aston Villa, is now a coach at Leeds United.
After it was revealed that Scott Gardner, who had been in charge since November, had been promoted to permanent
head coach, the 39-year-old was named assistant Under-21 coach.
At the conclusion of the 2020–2021 season, Downing announced his retirement from the Blackburn Rovers playing
team and took up coaching. In addition to working in the media, he has coached at Middlesbrough’s academy while
obtaining his coaching qualifications.
He relocates to Thorp Arch to work with a coaching staff led by Gardner, which also includes Michal Pudjak and
Chris Elliott. The U21s have won three of their last nine Premier League games, placing them 18th out of 26 Category
One academies.
Prior to being signed by Martin O’Neill in 2009, Downing began his career at his hometown Boro. Before Villa Park
rejected a bid from Liverpool in the summer of 2011, he worked there for two years. Despite Alex McLeish’s
assurances that Downing wouldn’t be leaving, the club sold him a few weeks later for an estimated £20 million after
he had made 79 appearances and scored 11 goals.
After spending a few seasons at Anfield and two more at West Ham, he eventually made his way back to The Riverside.
