Former Premier League star named manager of EFL club Newport after leaving Fulham U21s role

HAYDEN MULLINS has been named as the new manager of Newport County. The former Premier League star took the job after leaving his role as the U21s coach at Fulham. Hayden Mullins is the new manager of Newport County Credit: @NewportCounty He is the successor to Christian Fuchs who left the club in June Credit: Getty Mullins, 47, arrives as the replacement for one-time Prem champion Christian Fuchs. The Austrian – who won the title with Leicester in 2016 – made a shock exit from the club in June. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! He had led the club to League Two survival by four points as Harrogate and Barrow crashed down into non-league. Chris Todd was made the interim boss following Fuchs’ departure but now the Ironsides have Mullins as a permanent appointment. Mullins is best known for his time in the Premier League at West Ham where he played between 2003 and 2009. He was part of the side that reached the FA Cup final in 2006, only to lose to a Steven Gerrard-inspired Liverpool on penalties after 3-3 thriller. The former midfielder was also at the club when high-profile yet controversial stars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano arrived. He was able to keep the future Barcelona and Liverpool star Mascherano out of the side under the management of Alan Pardew. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Mullins played 151 times in the Premier League for West Ham and Portsmouth Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Mullins was asked about the situation between himself and Mascherano ahead of Argentina’s World Cup final defeat to Germany in 2014. He joked that he should have been captain of the South American nation before explaining that Mascherano was still adapting to the English game. He said: “In all seriousness, Mascherano is a top guy and an absolute world class player. “It wasn’t really me keeping him out the team, it was more to do with the fact that he had just arrived in English football. “He really is a top pro, everyone can see how good he is. “I remember when him and Carlos arrived at West Ham, they really were a cut above the rest. “It was only a matter of time before he got into his stride. “As soon as he went to Liverpool and had a manager who spoke Spanish you could see he was flourishing. When he ended up at Barcelona it was no surprise to me at all.” Hayden Mullins career by numbers HAYDEN MULLINS played over 150 times in the Premier League during his footballing career before going into coaching Here is a look at his playing days… Crystal Palace (1998–2003) Appearances: 257 Goals: 18 Assists: 10 West Ham United (Loan: 2003, Permanent: 2003–2009) Appearances: 213 Goals: 4 Assists: 7 Portsmouth (2009–2012) Appearances: 129 Goals: 3 Assists: 3 Reading (Loan: 2012) Appearances: 7 Goals: 0 Assists: 0 Birmingham City (2012–2014) Appearances: 39 Goals: 2 Assists: 1 Notts County (Loan: 2014, Permanent: 2014–2015) Appearances: 48 Goals: 1 Assists: 1 Mullins famously kept Javier Mascherano out of a struggling West Ham team Credit: PA:Press Association He played 211 times for the Hammers, scoring seven goals and assisting two more. Mullins also played for the likes of Crystal Palace, Portsmouth, Notts County and Birmingham before retiring in 2015. After hanging up his boots, he went into coaching and spent four years at Watford. During his time as the club’s U23s coach, he had two spells as interim manager after the sackings of Quique Sánchez Flores and Nigel Pearson. Mullins left Watford in 2020 and had stints at Colchester and the Turks and Caicos Islands national football team. He was then hired by Fulham in 2023 to lead the U21s and the following year guided the team to the Premier League Cup. Comment now