‘I was a big-money flop – but my failure has helped me at Man Utd’ | Football | Sport

Jonathan Woodgate’s transfer to Real Madrid remains infamous for entirely the wrong reasons. However, the defender’s move to Spain is now proving invaluable in his coaching role at Manchester United under Michael Carrick.

The former Leeds United and Newcastle centre-back made his mark in English football’s top tier early on, though persistent injury setbacks plagued his progress. That context made his £13.4million transfer to Los Blancos from the Magpies in 2004 all the more baffling. During his time in the Spanish capital, Woodgate managed merely 14 appearances. Whilst he displayed occasional flashes of leadership qualities, injuries once more prevented him from establishing himself, with his debut proving particularly dire.

He headed back to England in 2006 on loan with Middlesbrough, securing a permanent deal twelve months later before concluding his playing days with them in 2016, after stints at Tottenham and Stoke City.

Following retirement, Woodgate moved into coaching and having previously worked alongside Carrick at the Riverside Stadium, he joined his backroom team at Old Trafford last month. Now, despite his Real Madrid move being deemed largely unsuccessful, it has reportedly provided him with a distinct advantage from the touchline.

According to the Daily Mail, Woodgate has become an exceptionally important first-team coach due to his Spanish language skills. He naturally acquired the language during his three-year spell playing for Real Madrid.

This has reportedly been well received by many of the senior players who speak it, suggesting that Woodgate’s transfer all those years ago continues to yield benefits.

Joining Woodgate under Carrick, who remains undefeated in his current tenure as United manager, are former England coach Steve Holland, along with Travis Binnion and Jonny Evans.

Discussing his coaching selections back in January, Carrick stated: “Yeah, [getting the coaching balance right] was probably the most important thing.

“Steve’s got an unbelievable wealth of experience, massive experience at Chelsea in terms of going through similar situations and dealing with that and staying successful.

“Jonathan, he’s loyal. He’s very knowledgeable. He’s the perfect balance to me personally, I think that’s important, you know, I don’t want all the same. He challenges me, pushes me and has done so for the last three years.

“He’ll keep doing that. Trav, I think this club’s all about young players, you know, developing the young players, working with the young players and pushing the young players when they need a push. He’s going to have a massive part of that.

“And Jonny, obviously he’s someone who’s close to me and everything he stands for, I respect and I appreciate. He’s got unbelievable knowledge. He’s come through the whole thing.

“He’s in this football club and he gets it. So I think there’s a real balance of personalities, of characters, of knowledge and experience. I’m really, really happy.”