Huddersfield Town’s prospects for next season are assessed as the EFL pundit welcomes Michael Duff

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman believes Huddersfield Town have made an “excellent appointment” in bringing Michael Duff to the club.

The Terriers have tapped the former Cheltenham Town, Barnsley and Swansea City boss to oversee their first League One campaign for 12 years.

Duff enjoyed a successful four-year spell with Cheltenham before leaving to join Barnsley, where he went on to guide the Reds to the League One play-off final before suffering a last-gasp defeat against Sheffield Wednesday.

Read more: Owner Kevin Nagle doubles down on Huddersfield Town’s Championship ambitions

That campaign earned the 46-year-old a move to Swansea City, but his time in south Wales lasted just five months as the manager was sacked at the start of December.

Duff is now back in the dugout with the Terriers and Goodman has praised the City hierarchy for what he believes is a smart deal. However, the Sky Sports pundit expressed his uncertainty about how the Terriers will fare this season.

Assessing the promotion picture in League One, Goodman, who played for the likes of West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland and Wolves during his playing career, told OLBG: “League One is a tough division with eight ex-Premier League clubs , many of them. he ends up stuck and unable to get out of it, Charlton being a prime example of this.

“Looking at the relegated clubs, starting with Huddersfield, they have appointed Michael Duff, which I think is an excellent appointment. But I’m not sure what their team will look like once the season starts.

“Rotherham have been very busy, Steve Evans wasted no time. What strikes you about their recruitment is the amount of experienced players they’ve brought in and I’d be very surprised if Rotherham aren’t in the top six.

“Then you come to Birmingham and you look at their squad, the players they’ve brought in and the players they’ve retained, which are better than League One level. You have to see them win League One, you really do. I know they have appointed a new manager in Chris Davies, but finishing in the top two is the bare minimum for Birmingham City. It has great tools at its disposal.

“Bolton and Peterborough have both been in the play-offs in each of the last two seasons and I’d be surprised if they don’t appear again. Lincoln City went on that 16-match unbeaten run, only to lose two of their last four games and miss out on the top six by two points, and could be contenders again if they can rediscover such a level of performance.

“I like Blackpool and with Neil Critchley at that level I would expect them to be there or thereabouts for a top six place.

“I would also expect Charlton Athletic to have a much better season under Nathan Jones. They have lost just one of their last 15 matches, but have drawn ten of those. They were hard to beat but they just couldn’t turn those draws into wins, however I think they will find a way once he has a full pre-season in charge.”