Leeds considered appointing 44-year-old as new manager before going for Marsch instead

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Real Madrid legend Raul was in the frame to take over the Leeds United reins from Marcelo Bielsa, according to reports in Spain.

Marca report Leeds ‘knocked on the door’ for the Spaniard, who is currently the coach of Los Blancos’ Castilla youth team.

However, a move didn’t materialise and the Spanish newspaper insist Raul doesn’t want to leave Real Madrid right now and has turned down approaches from Schalke and Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Whites moved swiftly to replace the Argentine with Jesse Marsch, but it seems the American wasn’t the only coach that the Leeds hierarchy were interested in speaking with.

With the Elland Road side flirting with relegation to the Championship, the Yorkshire giants decided to call time on the Bielsa era.

Marsch, who had been sacked earlier in the season during his time at manager of Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig, got off to the worst possible start in England with back-to-back Premier League defeats.

But the 48-year-old has turned things around and has picked up 10 points from the last four games.

Leeds are now eight points above the relegation zone with six Premier League games remaining.

While Bielsa had inherited a cult hero status at Elland Road, the decision to part ways with the charismatic South American looks to have paid dividends.

It would have been an almighty risk to have brought Raul in to replace Bielsa given he has no manager experience at senior level.

There is no denying Raul, 44, was one of the best strikers around, but becoming a manager of a Premier League club who are engulfed in a relegation dogfight when you haven’t played in the league, let alone manage would have been a tall order.