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Sheffield United women’s head coach, Ash Thompson, has been suspended from his duties, the Guardian understands, as the team prepare for the second league match of the season.
The Women’s Super League 2 side’s assistant head coach Luke Turner is understood to have been overseeing training for at least a week. The reasons behind Thompson’s suspension have not been made clear to the Guardian.
A club spokesperson said: “Sheffield United Women confirms that Luke Turner takes charge of the senior women’s team on an interim basis, with Ash Thompson currently unavailable.”
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The club website’s match report for last Friday’s season opener against Sunderland similarly stated that Thompson was “unavailable”. Turner took charge for the game at Bramall Lane, which United lost 4-0. It is understood Turner is preparing to lead the team into Sunday’s fixture at Newcastle.
Thompson has been contacted for a response by the Guardian. Formerly a coach at Leeds, he has been in charge of Sheffield United since July 2024 after three years working in the club’s youth academy, including as their under-21 manager.
Sheffield United were due to be relegated after finishing bottom of the second tier last season but received a reprieve after Blackburn withdrew from the league over financial concerns.
Turner is understood to be regarded by the club as a safe pair of hands in the meantime because of his experience, having had three previous spells as interim manager between 2022 and 2024. He arrived as a strength and conditioning coach in 2020 before moving up to be the assistant manager the following year. He previously worked in Manchester United’s sport science department.
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The most recent of his previous spells in interim charge came after Jonathan Morgan was sacked in February 2024 because of what the club described at the time as Morgan’s “conduct before arriving at Bramall Lane”.
