NEIL Harris has returned to Cambridge United – and his new boss is the man he replaced as head coach last season.
Harris took over from Mark Bonner in December 2023 but left after fourteen games to return to his former club Millwall last February.
Harris’ replacement, Garry Monk, was sacked this month with the side last in League One, eight points from safety.
Harris steered Millwall away from the Championship relegation zone last season, leading them from a point above the bottom three to a thirteenth-place finish.
The Lions’ record goal-scorer Harris had managed the club from 2015 to 2019, taking them back into the second tier through the play-offs in 2017.
After replacing the sacked Joe Edwards last February, Harris revealed he had made a promise when he left in 2019 to late owner John Berylson that he would return to The Den if the club ever needed him. That call came from new Millwall chairman James Berylson, after his father had died in a car accident in the United Sates in July 2023.
Bonner has been appointed United’s director of football.
Cambridge majority owner Paul Barry explained the process behind Harris’ return.
“This has been a challenging season which has not gone as any of us would have hoped. There have been lessons for all of us to learn,” he said on the club’s website.
“The first part of our football review over the last month has highlighted three key things:
“First – the need to adjust how the football side of the club is overseen and governed from owners and board down. We have done this.
“Second – the requirement to appoint someone to review all parts of our football operations as director of football over the coming months and lead the potential change that might follow
“Third – the need to deepen our culture, continue to modernise every area of the club and at the same time have a relentless focus on what it takes to win on and off the pitch
“Mark Bonner will be returning as our new Director of Football. He knows the Club inside out – its strengths, its culture and values, and also the areas that we must seek to improve.
“He is an exceptional individual and we believe his leadership, strategic thinking and deep understanding of the game can make him an outstanding Director of Football for us over the long term.
“He will undertake the second part of the football review as the planning starts now to get ready for next season – alongside fighting to stay up.
“Neil Harris is returning as head coach on a contract until June 2027. He made a significant impact at the club over a short period last season. He is a winner and his track record as a head coach speaks for itself. He will obviously work very closely with Mark, who has been leading conversations with him over the last 48 hours.
“Clearly, Neil left us in a unique set of circumstances last season, and we all feel there is unfinished business for him at Cambridge United.
“Finally, a word for our fans. We are hugely grateful for all your support this season when there has often not been a lot to cheer about.
“We believe this new leadership on the football side will put us in a better position to attack the challenges in front of us as we look to create a new positive chapter for the club – United in Endeavour.”
