Michael Duff aims to put pride back into Huddersfield Town after being named new head coach

Speed was of the essence for the Terriers, with Barnsley also though to have shown an interest in bringing back the coach who took them to the play-off final in his last season in League One.

Duff has signed a three-year contract, making him the fourth managerial appointment of Kevin Nagle's first year as chairman.

“As soon as discussions started with the club, I wanted to jump at the chance to be head coach of Huddersfield Town," said the 46-year-old former centre-back.

“Since leaving my last role, I’ve had time to reflect, recharge and focus on what the next challenge I wanted to take on would look like. Whatever was to come had to be right and be a good fit, and that is exactly what this feels like.

"I know that our supporters expect a certain level of commitment, desire, high energy and passion from their play, and those are the high standards I’ve kept for all of my sides.

“My talks with the chairman Kevin, CEO Jake (Edwards) and sporting director Mark (Cartwright) have been incredibly positive, and I feel like we’ve been on the same page since day one.

"I know the club, the area and the fans from having crossed paths in the past, but now I want to get to know them properly from a place of belonging – and above all else, I want our supporters to have pride in their team again.

“I can guarantee that I will give my all for Huddersfield Town – that’s what I’ll be asking of my players too – and together alongside our supporters we have a pre-season and campaign ahead that we’ll be ready to attack.”

Breitenreiter left by mutual consent on Friday after overseeing the Terriers' relegation to League One, confirmed the previous weekend.

Duff won many admirers and a move to Championship Swansea City on the back of his solitary season at Barnsley, who he took to the League One play-off final.

They lost that 1-0 to Sheffield Wednesday, Josh Windass' diving header in stoppage-time in extra time all that separated the sides despite the Reds being reduced to 10 men by the sending off of Adam Phillips after 49 minutes.

Before that, he took his first club, Cheltenham Town, from League Two to their highest finish, 15th in League One.

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Swansea took him to south Wales to add a more pragmatic edge to their football but it did not go down well with fans and before Christmas they reverted to type, sacking Duff and replacing him with Luke Williams.

An attacking style of football is something Nagle places a high premium on, citing it as the reason for replacing Darren Moore with Breitenreiter in January and although Duff does not play the sort of "pure" football Swansea have become associated with, his Barnsley side scored 80 goals in 46 league matches.

He was thought to have been under consideration for the job when Nagle opted for Breitenreiter in February.

Nagle and Cartwright both mentioned the importance of moving quickly, with Breitenreiter’s comments in his last weeks in the job pointing to a toxic dressing-room culture in need of overhauling.

“It was important we acted quickly ahead of the new season, and Michael’s enthusiasm about joining Huddersfield Town was evident from our first conversation,” said Cartwright.

“Michael has a proven record of giving squads focus and direction within transitional periods, having succeeded with both Cheltenham Town and Barnsley within League One in the recent past, with Swansea City paying a significant compensation fee to hire him, too.”

Nagle started his tenure as chairman last summer by persuading Neil Warnock to return as manager having saved Town from relegation in 2022-24. By September, though, he had decided to go in a new direction, appointing former Sheffield Wednesday manager Moore.

Barnsley are understood to be in negotiations with a number of clubs for managerial candidates currently in work. They sacked manager Neill Collins after the penaultimate game of the regular season, hoping to replace him with Austrian Dominik Thalhammer, only to fail in their attempt to get a work permit for him.

The Reds were beaten 5-4 on aggregate by Bolton Wanderers in the League One play-off semi-finals.