Milanic finally confirmed as new Leeds boss

Milanic took training at Thorp Arch earlier in the day after the 46-year-old Slovenian flew into England on Monday evening having negotiated his release from Austrian side Sturm Graz. He will take charge of Leeds for the first time away to Brentford on Saturday.

He has been joined at Leeds by Novica Nikcevic – his assistant at Graz – and the two men will be officially unveiled at a press conference on Wednesday.

They met with United’s senior squad at Thorp Arch on Tuesday morning and took a full training session before Milanic travelled to Elland Road to finalise discussions about his deal.

Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino, who has waited almost four weeks to unveil a replacement for David Hockaday, said: “I’ve taken my time because I wanted the right man.

“If I rush, we burn and I could not afford a mistake.

“Darko is a humble guy. He talks little but he works a lot and he’s a coach who knows about international players.

“He’s hard-working, he’s positive, and his assistant coach is a very positive person too.

“He speaks a lot of languages, he can work with foreign players – English, Italian, any nationality – and he can relate to foreign players.

“When I spoke to him I knew that he was right for us.

“His style and his philosophy is right for us.”