Manchester United to Mansfield: Mark Hughes relishing Bradford bow

There have perhaps never been greater differences surrounding the circumstances surrounding one manager’s last game in his old job, and the first game in his new one. Three years ago, Mark Hughes’s tenure as Southampton manager came to an end with a 2-2 draw against a Manchester United side managed by José Mourinho which featured Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford.

This Saturday, it is Mansfield Town and players such as Lucas Akins and Jordan Bowery who stand in Hughes’s way for his match as manager of League Two side Bradford City. The challenges are different too. Back then, Hughes was fighting to keep Southampton in the Premier League and retain his record of having never managed outside the top flight. That record officially disappears when he takes charge of Bradford, who are 15th and 10 points adrift of the play-offs.

It is one of the more remarkable appointments in recent memory. But while so much is different about the circumstances Hughes will walk into at Valley Parade on Saturday, he insists one thing remains the same.

“I’ll still have that same excitement about this match as I did with the last one,” he says. “It will absolutely be no different to managing in the Premier League in that regard. The build to a game is great, being on the grass and training, but by far the best thing is the matchday itself. It’s turning up there, seeing the crowd build and it’s the thing I’ve missed the most, without a shadow of a doubt.”

With around 15,000 spectators expected on Saturday, including a large travelling contingent from Mansfield, the 58-year-old is being given a soft opening, of sorts, to life in the lower leagues. Having spent three years out of coaching, there will be keen interest in Hughes to see