Aaron Lennon, a native of Leeds, has returned to his hometown club nearly 19 years after leaving to join Tottenham Hotspur. Now 37 years old, the retired England winger was part of the backroom staff working with Leeds United’s under-18 team at the Etihad Stadium on Friday night.As the youth team’s coaching staff began preparing for the FA Youth Cup final warm-up, Lennon was seen wearing a United kit and worked alongside head coach Rob Etherington for the evening.
Similar to Stewart Downing’s posting at Thorp Arch, no official announcement has been made about Lennon’s involvement, but his vast experience at the highest level can only be an asset to the young players.Lennon was one of many success stories produced by Thorp Arch at the start of the 21st century. As a 16-year-old, he made his Whites debut during the 2003/04 season, when the club was relegated from the Premier League, before going on to play a more prominent role under Kevin Blackwell in the Championship.
Similar to many talented players at Elland Road during that period, Lennon was eventually transferred after making only 38 league appearances for Leeds United. Tottenham brought him back to the Premier League, where he featured regularly for nine years and earned 21 caps for England. After a loan spell at Everton, he made a permanent move there before playing for Burnley with a brief period in Turkey in between. Lennon’s final playing season was in 2021/22.The duration of his stay at Thorp Arch and the temporary nature of his coaching transition are yet to be determined.
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