Former Super Eagles forward, John Utaka has been named as new head coach of Montpellier’s women’s team in France.
Utaka, 43, replaces former coach Frédéric Mendy at the southern France club.
He will work with Baptiste Merle until the end of the season, supported by the team’s sporting director, Jean-Louis Saez, news outlet, Quest France reports.
No stranger to French football, Utaka previously played for Lens, Rennes and Montpellier, helping the latter clinch a historic Ligue 1 title in the 2011–2012 season by scoring two goals in the final game.
He returned to Montpellier in 2020 to coach forwards in the youth teams and also briefly managed the women’s team in 2021.
Before his present appointment, the ex-Super Eagles forward worked as an assistant coach with Montpellier’s U19 men’s team having earned his UEFA A Licence in 2022.
Montpellier’s women’s team currently sit at fifth in the French Division 1 table with 27 points after 19 matches, 11 points behind third-placed Bordeaux.
