Ben Foster tells Leeds fans what to expect from Javi Gracia having played under him

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Ben Foster played under new Leeds United manager Javi Gracia during his time at Watford.

The Spaniard was the manager when the former England international moved to the club and he guided them to the 2019 FA Cup final.

He is now the man charged with keeping Leeds in the Premier League, after a protracted managerial search where other options have been exhausted.

Foster told his Cycling GK channel on Facebook what Leeds fans can expect from their new manager, and was glowing in his assessment.

Ben Foster on new Leeds United manager Javi Gracia

Foster said: “He demands enough respect from you that it’s a healthy fear. He’s calm, a little bit quiet at times but when he wants to get a little bit louder, he’s got that in the bag as well.

“You could see he was a really good coach. On the training pitch, very structured. Took every single training session, always in control, even in the gym.

“We started the season on absolute fire. Javi was top class, he never got too carried away. He plays very much a 4-4-2 formation, could be a 4-2-2-2 or 4-3-3 at times, but he liked to play Troy Deeney and Andre Gray up front. It was never fully hung-go. It was always workrate.

“That is going to help Leeds an awful lot. Under Bielsa, Leeds were gung-ho and tried to outscore teams but he will not stand for that, I can promise you. It’s a fantastic signing. He’s a top man, top coach and exactly the kind of guy Leeds needed.”

This might be an underwhelming appointment on paper for Leeds fans, and it was clear that he was not first choice, with other options explored first.

But Gracia has Premier League experience, and lasted longer than many other bosses have in the hiring and firing culture at Watford.

It seems he will be different to Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch in terms of being more defensively compact, but also with a desire to get his teams working hard for the badge.