I closely studied Pep Guardiola's methods before working with Bielsa and Marsch at Leeds United

Mark Jackson is fondly remembered by fans at Elland Road for his work with Leeds United's youth sides. He spent more than seven years with the West Yorkshire outfit as manager of the academy, Under-18s and U23s

Jackson was key in the development of a number of players, including Archie Gray, Charlie Cresswell and Crysencio Summerville. He admits he greatly benefited from working under Whites icon Marcelo Bielsa.

"By the time Bielsa arrived at Leeds in 2018, I’d been studying the methods of Pep Guardiola," Jackson told The Coaches' Voice. "Guardiola had been influenced by Bielsa, and it was then that I started to learn what I could about him. I also took the opportunity to watch him from afar while I was still working the Under-18s.

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"Bielsa’s man-to-man football, and learning how he looked at the game, represented a real shift. At one point I even spoke to Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas to learn more about the intensity from the players’ perspective. It was very, very high.

"When I started working with the Under-23s, I learned even more about how Bielsa’s system looked. As a coach, that was a real challenge.

"There was a pressure on the coaches to learn, because we had to coach in the same way. A lot of what Marcelo oversaw was drill-based, so you had to learn those drills. But from the number of players who featured for the first team that season, we had a successful first year."

After Bielsa's departure, Jackson was promoted to the first team set-up by Jesse Marsch in March 2022. He said: "In time, I knew I needed to pursue the next challenge. That came when Jesse Marsch succeeded Marcelo in 2022. Largely thanks to Adam Underwood’s influence, Jesse moved me to the first team. There, I could develop further and add value to the club I loved at first-team level.

"Under Marcelo, I’d also learned about analysing the game and maintaining high standards. Now, in Jesse – who came in at a difficult time for the club, when preserving Leeds’ Premier League status was the priority – I got to work with a fantastic leader, communicator and a very good person.

"We got on well, and his background within the Red Bull coaching network meant he favoured a different style of football. That presented me with another opportunity to learn."

Jackson eventually left his coaching position to take up a management position at Milton Keynes Dons. He was unable to turnaround their fortunes, with his reign lasting less than five months.

Jackson jetted off to the other side of the world to lead A-League Men's side Central Coast Mariners. In his first full season as a head coach in Australia, he won the treble, overseeing victories in the Premiers Plate, AFC Cup and A-League Grand Final.