Bradford City: ‘I wasn’t prepared for the game to retire me’ admits Mark Hughes

In that regard, his decision to embark on his first foray outside of the top-flight in the EFL’s bottom rung has stunned many.

Observers are entitled to perhaps question whether he quite knows what he is letting himself in for, given the calibre of player he is used to working with and what he will now inherit at City, with respect to those who will serve under him.

For his part, Hughes, who has signed a contract until the summer of 2024, insists the footballing ‘divide’ between top tier and fourth tier is not an issue following his return to the dug-out after being away since December 2018.

Hughes, the third member of Manchester United’s 1985 FA Cup winning side to manage City after Frank Stapleton and Bryan Robson, said: “I’m not going to go in there and compare and contrast.

“I work with what I’ve got in front of me – that’s the best way to approach things. I’ve managed at the top level, but at that level there were differing ability levels.

“It’s about maximising the opportunity from this team in terms of day-to-day work and giving them a plan and understanding of what to do to win games.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to implement that and if you’re clear in your mind as a player over what’s expected of you, that’s good.”

At 58 and having managed six Premier League clubs alongside his country Wales – and with nothing to necessarily prove –Hughes would have been forgiven for taking it easy.

But the desire to get ‘back in’ with the right challenge at the right club and not let the game ‘retire’ him is as strong as one of the ferocious volleys that were his trademark in his playing days.

Hughes, whose assistant – someone with lower-league experience – is expected to be confirmed later today, continued: “I always envisaged I’d get back in at some point. It’s fair to say it’s been longer than I anticipated, and there are reasons behind that.

“I’ve still got many years left, and I wasn’t prepared for the game to retire me. I’m still a young man in football terms. I’d like to have the option to retire myself when I feel it’s time rather than the game do that for me.”

The Welshman’s first game in charge will be against Mansfield Town at the Utilita Energy Stadium tomorrow. After one of the most ‘significant appointments in the club’s history’ in the words of chief executive officer Ryan Sparks, the devout hope is that many football fans in the city will now re-engage with the club.

A club which has been ‘divided’ of late, according to Sparks.

Hughes is the first to concede that the Bantams will have a ‘target on their backs’ following his appointment. But just as he never shirked a challenge in his playing days, the same rule applies in management.

He said: “There were (other) opportunities. Some of them coincided with Covid restrictions and I found it very difficult to get enthused about football behind closed doors.

“That maybe shaped my view on a couple of opportunities, but this is good timing. It’s a good opportunity; irrespective of what happens between now and the end of the season, the key for me is I get a chance to look at the players I’ve got and the structure of the club and look at maybe what’s desperately needed to push it forward. The timing is fine for me.”

The appointment of Hughes constitutes one of the boldest EFL managerial appointments in recent times and Sparks admits that he moved pretty quickly after being stunned to hear from Hughes’s representative, his son Alex, that he would be interested.

That said, the email correspondence could have very easily been overlooked.

Sparks explained: “The truth of the matter is when it actually came through, we’ve had some issues with our emails and it was in my junk folder. I obviously go through that every day and made a phone call very quickly to his representatives and said: ‘Apologies for the three-hour delay.’ I am usually ‘on it’.’

“I obviously wanted to have a conversation with Mark. That is where it started. It started with a chuckle, if you like. Always check your ‘junk email!’”

“I rang Stefan (Rupp) that night after I had spoken to Mark’s representatives and explained that there had been one (name) not on the list who had come forward. He was very intrigued by it.”

Sparks added: “Initially, when the last manager left, I wouldn’t have possibly expected Mark to be the next manager, I won’t lie.

“This is not a Premier League club by any stretch, we don’t have the facilities Mark will have had at other clubs. But he has not come into it looking at it with any negative thoughts.

“His eyes are wide open and he has taken it in and in some areas, he has been surprised by what we have got and will be able to take it forward from there.”