'I'm English football's youngest manager – this is what I think of Mikel Arteta and Russell Martin'

Over the past decade, there has been a more prominent trend of young coaches making the leap into senior management at a very early age. West Brom head coach Ryan Mason, Brighton's Fabian Hurzeler and Southampton's Will Still are among those to have started - and continued - managing before they even turned 30.

Now, King's Lynn's Joe Simpson is the latest young coach to have a crack at becoming a professional manager. The 29-year-old was appointed as the Linnets' interim boss last Wednesday following the departure of James Rowe.

With that, Simpson is now the youngest active manager in the top six tiers of English football, overtaking Morecambe's Ashvir Singh Johal, 30.

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Simpson stepped into the dugout for the first time on Saturday and led King's Lynn, who play in the National League North, to a thumping 5-1 win against Royston Town in the FA Cup.

Speaking in an interview with Mirror Sport, Simpson expressed his pride about becoming the youngest professional manager in England, though he didn't know anything about it.

"It wasn't something I was aware of, but it's a nice sort of accolade and it's lovely to hear," Simpson said. "Obviously, it wasn't a situation I expected to find myself in at all, it wasn't in the plans, but I can't complain in terms of the result we picked up on Saturday.

"The players, the way they approached the game, the way they'd approached the training leading up to it as well was first class, but not that I was surprised because they've been that way since I joined the club in July.

"Obviously, I enjoyed the game, pleased with the result for the football club as well. I'm just obviously going to do the best I can for as long as I'm in the position."

Simpson's playing days ended when he was just 21. He had been involved in the youth set-up at Norwich City and MLS side New York Red Bulls before suffering not one, but two serious injuries that forced him to retire when his senior career had just started.

It was something that Simpson found hard to take at the time. "I was 21 and it was a double sort of whammy really," he added. "I had an issue of my groin which came up in a medical out in America and it was an issue with the ligaments at the top of my groin.

"I had to have a procedure on it which kept me out for a long time, the best part of 18 months before I got playing again. This was around the age of 20 and I tried to build it up again.

"I was training for a little while with Chelmsford City's academy system in the Under 21s and then went back into King's Lynn playing for their reserves. But then I damaged my knee ligaments in a cup final and played on. I didn't realise, did the penalty shoot out, lost, saved one though and then drove home. I then got out of the car and just my knee had flared up like anything and folded like a deck chair.

"I went in and realised what I'd done obviously within the hospital quite quickly and unfortunately from then on it didn't really heal the way it should have done and that sort of meant I had to make a bit of a decision so I decided to stop.

"It was a frustrating thing at the time and I still miss it to this day at times but everything happens for a reason and that obviously helped me go into the coaching path a little bit earlier which led me to the point I'm at at the moment so yeah obviously out of adversity you've got to try and create opportunity so frustrating not to be able to play anymore.

"If it weren't for my knee then I would have made it but I love the game, I love the sport and just want to contribute in the best way I can. At the moment that's through coaching and that's something I feel privileged to do as a job."

Simpson made the leap straight into coaching once he made the decision to hang up his boots. He worked under non-league veteran Ian Culverhouse as a first-team coach at King's Lynn, Kettering Town, Boston United and St Albans City before returning to the Linnets, his hometown club, in the summer.

As well as this, Simpson was King's Lynn's academy and women's manager for a brief period and worked at Peterborough United as part of their Youth Development Phase (YDP).

Although Simpson is still at the start of his coaching career, he has ambitions to reach the pinnacle of the game and manage the England national team in the future.

He said: "I think everyone has the obvious answer that everyone wants to manage England and it was always from a very young age. That's what I always said that I'd like to do.

"But I think when you get older you broaden your horizons with opportunities and stuff. For me, it's more about continuing to learn and make sure that the environment I go into whatever position that might be, whether it's as an assistant, whether it's as a coach, whether it's as a manager, being able to leave it in a better position than I found it.

"You never stop learning regardless, but certainly at the age I am I think it's important to give myself the opportunity to be challenged to be stretched to be exposed to difficult situations that are only gonna help me as I get older.

"Obviously, I want a coach at the highest level, but there's a big difference between being a coach and a manager, so every single day I'm in this seat I'm hopefully going to naturally improve through positives, but also through adversity as well."

Simpson has several elite coaches that he admires and inspires to be like. First, Arsenal's Mikel Arteta is one due to the fact he is a boyhood Gunner, while Will Still of Southampton and Rangers boss Russell Martin are others he singled out.

"Obviously I'm an Arsenal fan so I'm a big fan of Mikel Arteta," Simpson admitted. "But then I suppose on a wider scale the likes of Will Still, his journey and what he's done is outstanding. A young manager that's paved his way in different countries as well and I think he deserves a lot of credit.

"Russell Martin, someone I've had the privilege of meeting personally on a few occasions, I'm always a big follower of his work. I think he's excellent.

"So there's different ones throughout the leagues that I've always kept an eye on and an admirer of their work and obviously as a young coach growing up it’s important to stay open minded.

"You've got to have your own beliefs, your own methods, your own philosophy, but I think it's important that you keep your mind open to those that are more experienced, have had different challenges and positives within their career and how you can learn."

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While he doesn’t know how long he is going to be in the interim role for, Simpson's immediate focus is on his work at King's Lynn and their upcoming fixtures.

The Linnets face Scarborough Athletic at home in the National League North - the sixth tier - on Saturday before making the trip to Scunthorpe United in the FA Cup seven days later.

Asked about his side's mouth-watering cup tie against Scunthorpe after drawing them on Monday, Simpson finished: "It's a draw that we can look forward to with excitement, with optimism, and a great opportunity for us to take a really good following across to a really, really difficult game.

"Obviously they've played 10 games in the National League, they've gone unbeaten. Andy Butler, their manager, I've had the pleasure of meeting a few times and speaking to, he's a really good guy and done an excellent job at Scunthorpe to get them promoted last year. It was an outstanding achievement.

"I came across him when he was assistant to Jimmy Dean the season before when I was at Boston United. We had some happy memories there that season. In the two games we played, I think we equalised last minute to draw 2 -2 and then beat them in the play-off semi-final. On a personal level I've had good memories of their stadium. The fans there will make it a really hostile place as well; they're brilliant.

"So, it will be a proper cup tie, but at the same time it's a game that we can go and have a real good go at. There's nothing to fear. We're going to go and try and be the best version of ourselves. And I know the group of players we've got are more than capable of going there and being competitive against a really, really good side.

"But as the old cliche goes, and me as a coach and a footballing person, I'm very big on isolating games. So, before I look forward to that one and think about that one, it's about making sure that we're prepared for Scarborough on Saturday, which is going to pose its own test because of their brilliant start to the season."

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