Danny Pugh

Daniel Adam Pugh (born 19 October 1982) is an English professional football coach and former player.

A versatile player, he could play in midfield or at left-back.

Pugh came through the youth ranks at Manchester United, signing as a professional on 18 July 2000.

He made his first team debut after coming on as a 75th-minute substitute for Ruud van Nistelrooy in a 5–2 win over Israeli side Maccabi Haifa in a UEFA Champions League group stage game at Old Trafford on 18 September 2002.

He made his Premier League debut three days later, this time replacing Ryan Giggs with five minutes remaining of a 1–0 home victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

He went on to make further appearances against Juventus and Deportivo de La Coruña in the second group stage of the Champions League.

Having played five times in the 2002–03 season, he was given just two appearances by Alex Ferguson in the 2003–04 campaign.

He began his career with Manchester United, and made a handful of first team appearances before being transferred to Leeds United in May 2004.

In May 2004, Pugh was traded to derby rivals Leeds United in part-exchange for Alan Smith, becoming the first player signed by manager Kevin Blackwell.

He scored his first goal in senior football on 10 August, as Leeds lost 2–1 at Gillingham in the Championship.

He went on to score both of United's goals in a 2–2 draw at Crewe Alexandra on 18 September.

He held down the left midfield position in a 4–4–2 formation for the first half of the 2004–05 season, before being switched to left-back after an injury to Stephen Crainey.

However, Pugh fell out of favour at Leeds after Blackwell's decision to switch to a 4–3–3 formation and he featured just 15 times in the 2005–06 campaign.

He spent two seasons at Elland Road before joining Preston North End for a fee of £250,000 in June 2006.

Another two-year spell followed until he joined Stoke City for £500,000 in January after a short loan period.

Pugh was sold to Championship rivals Preston North End in June 2006 for a fee of £250,000, becoming Paul Simpson's first signing as manager at Deepdale.

He scored four goals in 49 games in the 2006–07 season, mainly playing tucked in off the left flank or occasionally as an out-and-out central midfielder.

He became a regular under Tony Pulis and helped the club to gain promotionout of the Championship in 2007–08.

On 2 November 2007, Pugh joined Stoke City initially on loan with a view to a permanent move in January; manager Tony Pulis was "delighted to have signed a quality left-sided midfielder".

The move was made permanent on 3 January, with Stoke paying Preston £500,000 for Pugh's services.

He played 32 games for Stoke in the 2007–08 season as the club secured promotion to the Premier League by finishing second in the Championship.

However, he struggled to establish himself in the first team during the 2008–09 season, featuring in just 17 Premier League games.

He did though score his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win over Rotherham United in a League Cup match at the Britannia Stadium on 11 November.

He signed a one-year contract extension in October 2009.

He scored his first Premier League goal in a 3–1 home defeat to Arsenal on 27 February; However, he also gave away a penalty in the match.

After struggling for first team appearances at Stoke, Pugh returned to his old club Preston North End on a one-month loan on 17 November 2010, along with fellow Stoke teammate Michael Tonge.

The loan was extended into a second month, though he was recalled from his loan spell on 31 December by Pulis after Preston sacked manager Darren Ferguson.

He signed a new contract with Stoke whilst on loan at Preston, with Pulis remarking that Pugh was "an excellent professional... who can be relied upon to come in and do a good job if required".

He made 18 appearances for Stoke in all competitions during the 2010–11 season, including an appearance as a late substitute for Glenn Whelan in the 1–0 defeat to Manchester City in the 2011 FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

He appeared in the 2011 FA Cup final, However, he struggled to hold down a regular place in the Premier League and had loan spells back at Preston and then Leeds, before joining Leeds permanently for a second time in January 2012.

Pugh made only his second league start for Stoke in two seasons away at Birmingham City in February 2011.

Pugh made six appearances at the start of the 2011–12 season and scored against Swiss side FC Thun the Europa League, giving Stoke a 1–0 win on 18 August.

However, Pugh was left out Stoke's 25-man Premier League squad by manager Tony Pulis for the 2011–12 season.

On 22 September 2011, Pugh rejoined Simon Grayson's Leeds United on a three-month loan with the option to a permanent move.

He made his second debut for Leeds the next day in a 3–3 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion.

He made 62 appearances in his second spell at Leeds and also played on loan at Sheffield Wednesday in the 2012–13 season.

He left Stoke in January 2012 to rejoin Leeds United on a permanent transfer after five seasons with the "Potters", having made a total 89 appearances and scoring three goals for the club.

He left Leeds and went on to spend the 2014–15 season with Coventry City, the 2015–16 campaign at Bury, before moving on to Blackpool in July 2016.

He signed with Port Vale in January 2017 and was appointed as a first team coach in September 2018.

He stepped up to become Vale's caretaker manager in January 2019 and January 2021.