The Terriers have made their move after the departure of Andre Breitenreiter last week

Michael Duff has been appointed as Huddersfield Town’s new head coach. The former Cheltenham Town, Barnsley and Swansea City boss has penned a three-year deal with the Terriers, and replaces Andre Breitenreiter, who departed the club at the back end of last week.

Duff spent eight years as a player at Cheltenham, where he made more than 300 appearances before sealing a move to Burnley in 2004. The centre-back went on to spend 12 years at Turf Moor as a player, passing the 350-game mark with the Clarets before retiring from playing in 2016.

The 46-year-old began his coaching career at Burnley, first with the under-18s and then U23s, before landing his first managerial role with Cheltenham in 2018. The manager guided the Robins to the League Two title in 2021 and then a 15th-placed finish in League One the following year, the club’s highest-ever EFL finish, before departing to join Barnsley in the summer of 2022.

Duff guided the Tykes to the League One play-off final in his sole season in charge, which ended in an extra-time defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, before leaving for Swansea City last summer. He spent just over five months in charge of the Swans before being sacked in December, with his side sitting 18th in the Championship table.

The 46-year-old now returns to the dugout with the recently-relegated Terriers, who are set to embark on their first League One campaign since 2012.

Town’s chairman Kevin Nagle said: “Preparation for the new season is critical, and we are excited to have Michael join us in good time for the campaign ahead. We have huge ambitions both on and off the pitch, and every discussion we have held with Michael has given us confidence that he not only shares those same goals, but knows what it means to represent Huddersfield Town.

“I look forward to moving on together in Sky Bet League One with Michael, who has a track record that speaks for itself at this level.”

Sporting director Mark Cartwright added: “It was important we acted quickly ahead of the new season, and Michael’s enthusiasm about joining Huddersfield Town was evident from our first conversation. Michael has a proven record of giving squads focus and direction within transitional periods, having succeeded with both Cheltenham Town and Barnsley within Sky Bet League One in the recent past, with Swansea City paying a significant compensation fee to hire him, too.

“We are in a great position for the campaign ahead, and I look forward to seeing Michael get to work with the players when our pre-season begins on field next month. Discussions regarding our off field considerations are already well underway, with Michael bought into our vision of the future whilst contributing ideas and high standards of his own.”