"If I was Kevin Nagle" - Huddersfield Town urged to push for "feel-good" 53-year-old manager appointment | OneFootball

FLW's Huddersfield Town fan pundit has given his view on who he would like to see take over as the club's new permanent manager.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Huddersfield Town are still searching for a new permanent manager following the departure of Michael Duff in March.

Duff only took over at Huddersfield in the summer following their relegation from the Championship, and his side had spent much of the season in the play-off places in League One, but owner Kevin Nagle parted company with the 47-year-old last month after a run of four defeats in five games.

Given that the Terriers sat just two points outside the top six at the time of Duff's exit, his dismissal came as a surprise to many Terriers supporters, and Nagle's decision to place Jon Worthington in interim charge until the end of the season has backfired spectacularly.

Worthington has lost seven of his nine games in charge so far, including each of the last five matches, and Town are now 10th in the table, 11 points from the play-off places ahead of the final game of the campaign at home to Leyton Orient on Saturday.

It was claimed earlier this month that Paul Warne and Brian Barry-Murphy were under consideration for the permanent job at the John Smith's Stadium as Nagle weighed up whether to make an early appointment, but he opted to stick with Worthington, and the former has since taken over at League Two side MK Dons.

Huddersfield Town told to target David Wagner reunion

When asked who he would like to take over as manager in the summer, FLW's Huddersfield Town fan pundit Graeme Rayner urged Nagle to open talks with former boss David Wagner about a potential return to the club.

Wagner led the Terriers to promotion to the Premier League in 2017 before keeping them in the top flight the following season, and Graeme believes the 53-year-old, who has been out of work since being sacked by Norwich City in May, could help to bring the feel-good factor back to the John Smith's Stadium after an underwhelming campaign.

"It is really tricky to know how to answer the question of which manager we should be pursuing because, at the moment, we don't know who is going to be the director of football," Graeme said.

"In my view, if you have a director of football, they are the person who should be dictating the club's direction and preferred style of play, and then choosing a manager who fits that.

"At the moment, we don't know who that is or what that is, so it's very difficult.

"However, there have been a lot of rumours, albeit probably fanciful, that David Wagner might be in line for a return.

"If I was Kevin Nagle, I would be looking for a feel-good decision in terms of who to appoint, someone that will get the fans excited, energised and positive.

"Most Huddersfield fans feel like lightning can't strike twice, and they feel that Wagner would be risking his legacy by joining the club with no guarantees of anything like the success he had before.

"Many also think there's a chance that he wouldn't drop to League One.

"However, those rumours have been prolific over the last couple of weeks among Town fans, and what I would say is, if there is a chance of putting the band back together to reinvigorate the team, with a view to getting back into the Championship and becoming established and competitive, then that would be an exciting and attractive proposition.

"If I was Kevin Nagle, I would be on the phone to David Wagner because I think that, if he managed to get him to take the job, the overwhelming majority of Huddersfield would think it was the best thing that has happened since he left.

"I would say him because I can't think of anyone else who would excite me, but definitely not Wayne Rooney please."

David Wagner should be cautious over Huddersfield Town return

It is easy to see why some Huddersfield supporters are keen to see the appointment of Wagner, but it could be tough for Nagle to convince the German to come back to the John Smith's Stadium.

Wagner is reportedly open to a reunion with the Terriers at some stage, but he is believed to have reservations over whether it is the right time to return to the club, and given that he led Norwich to the Championship play-offs in his last managerial role, he should arguably set his sights higher than League One.

It is clear that Wagner is still held in high regard by Town supporters, but if he was to take charge of the club for a second time, he would be coming into a challenging situation and an unstable environment, and as Graeme says, he could risk damaging his legacy.