EX-MIDDLESBROUGH striker Rudy Gesede is back in the Championship after landing a behind the scenes role at Blackburn Rovers.

Gestede, who hung up his boots in 2022, played 65 times for Rovers and has now returned to Ewood Park as the Championship club's head of football operations.

It follows a year of shadowing at his former club and the completion of a CEO Sports Organisation course in Manchester.

Gestede joined Boro from Aston Villa in 2017 but disappointed on Teesside, scoring only six league goals before leaving as a free agent in 2020. He played on for two more years before retiring and is delighted to have landed his new role.

READ MORE:

“I couldn’t take my first steps into life off the pitch in a better place than with Blackburn Rovers,” he said.

“I will give 100% for the club, just as I did when I was a player here.

“I’m very excited and so pleased to be back, and looking forward to the start of the new season. My role will be to oversee every department at the Senior Training Centre, from administration to catering to recruitment and making sure every department is linked together with the academy.

“As a club, we should all be aligned as one and pushing in the same direction, from the academy to the first team. It’s important for someone to link it all together and I’ll make sure I do my best to help us reach the same goal.”