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Cambridge United took a punt on Mark Bonner as the U's boss never kicked a ball in professional football... but now the ex-Under 8s coach is mixing with the big boys

Cambridge United manager Mark Bonner is following in the footsteps of some of the game’s great minds.

Like legendary AC Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi, Bonner has not kicked a ball in professional football.

‘I never realised that in order to become a successful jockey you have to have been a horse first,’ Sacchi said when his credentials were questioned.

He earned a living as a shoe salesman before coaching in Italy’s semi-professional leagues and working his way up to the AC Milan job, where he won the European Cup in 1989 and 1990.