Manning given leave after 'heart-wrenching' talks

Huddersfield Town sporting director Chris Markham has said the well-being of manager Liam Manning had to come first after he was given compassionate leave for the rest of the season.

The League One side announced in a statement last week he would be standing aside temporarily after he "made the club aware of ongoing personal matters relating to the tragic passing of his newborn son Theo in October 2024".

Markham said the decision was reached after a "heart-wrenching" conversation.

"It's been a very difficult situation for everyone involved in the club but most importantly and first and foremost for Liam Manning the person," he told BBC Radio Leeds.

"He's at the forefront of our decisions and treating him in the right way from the outset of the conversations we had was the priority.

"We spoke the day after the Plymouth game and we had a very honest and, to be honest, tough and heart-wrenching conversation.

"It very much became clear that Liam Manning the person needed some support and we were very quick in doing that.

"Liam is the sort of person who doesn't want to let anyone down and didn't want to let anyone down.

"A big part of our conversation with him was to give him the understanding that we don't think that's what he's done at all."

Manning took a short leave of absence from his role as Bristol City boss after the death of Theo.

After he moved on to Norwich City last summer, having helping the Robins to a play-off finish in the Championship, he released a statement through the League Managers Association to say he "could not be more grateful" for the support from Bristol City.

He was sacked at Carrow Road in November after just 17 games in charge before taking over from Lee Grant at Huddersfield in January.

Coaches Martin Drury and Jon Stead, who joined the Terriers with Manning, have been placed in charge of the team for the remainder of the campaign.

Markham said they had opted not to bring in an outside candidate as an interim manager because they thought the team would benefit from "stability".

"We felt that stability is what we needed at this moment in time, consistency of voices with so few games left," he said.

"The mentality around Canalside this week has been first class, I've been really impressed.

"It's been a rallying around and bringing everyone together and let's all give everything we've got for these last seven, hopefully 10, games of the season.

"When we interviewed Liam we also did the appropriate interview processes for Martin and Jon so we knew what sort of coaches they are and we're very confident and comfortable with having them here."

Town are 10th in League One, four points off sixth-placed Reading with a game in hand and welcome the Royals on Friday (15:00 BST).

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article you can visit the BBC's Action Line for information and support on bereavement.