Dundee United boss Robbie Neilson has backed his former Hearts colleague Craig Levein to return from his Tynecastle exit.
Levein has been relieved of his first-team duties following a run of bad form that has left the Jambos in the Premiership relegation places.
Levein is gone. (Photo by Ewan Bootman/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Neilson believes the ex-Scotland boss will come back stronger and questions Hearts’ decision to let him go.
He told the Daily Record (page 48, 05/11/19): “I’m disappointed for Craig. Look at what he’s done for the long term, taking the club from post administration, back to the Premiership, putting the youth academy in place, building structures.
“It’s short-termism to move him. Craig will probably take a little while to reflect, get the energy levels back up again but he will be back in football, no doubt.”
Neilson back Levein to return from Hearts setback
Having watched Levein operate first-hand, Neilson knows what the recently departed Tynecastle man is capable of.
No stranger to dismissals. (Photo by Ewan Bootman/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Levein is no stranger to this situation. He has been dismissed as both Leicester City and Scotland manager in previous jobs. He was able to bounce back from both of those dismissals.
At 55-years-old, Levein still has a good few more years of management left in him. It’ll be a challenging setback given how much he loves Hearts, but as he’s proven before, he can handle these situations.
Neilson’s clearly backing him to do so.