Oxford United have appointed Des Buckingham as their new head coach, replacing Liam Manning who joined Bristol City earlier this month.
The 38-year-old left his role as head coach of Mumbai City, where had been since 2021.
The former U’s academy goalkeeper, who was born in Oxford, also succeeded as a manager at Melbourne City, with both roles coming as part of the City Football Group.
Buckingham has been a coach for 20 years, starting off with the youth teams at Oxford before being part of Chris Wilder’s coaching staff.
He has also managed at international level and had further success with New Zealand at various youth levels.
Chairman Grant Ferguson said: “I couldn’t be happier that Des has agreed to become our new Head Coach. His approach to coaching and developing players is a perfect match for the vision we have for the club.”
Ed Waldron, Head of Recruitment, commented: “Des is someone we’ve been monitoring for a while. He’s young, highly regarded and already has a wealth of coaching experience.
“His attacking style of play and philosophy suits the squad we are building and will help this outstanding group of players continue their excellent start to the season.”
Oxford United Chief Executive Officer, Tim Williams, added: “There was a huge amount of interest in the role but, from the moment we met Des, he became our number one choice.
“We had a very clearly defined set of criteria to ensure we found the right cultural fit for Oxford United. Des knows the club and city already, understands what we are trying to achieve, and we feel is the right person to build on the club’s progress to date.”
