Bates worked closely with the former Italy international at Chelsea and promised to fly back from Monaco when the two sides clash in League One next season.

Bates told Yorkshire Radio: "Robbie Di Matteo is a lovely boy and of course he's in the history books already for scoring the fastest goal ever in a Wembley cup final and the last ever goal in a Wembley cup final.

"He had a terrible, horrific injury the season afterwards and it took him a long time to get back, meanwhile he became a successful businessman.

"He's always wanted to get back into football, he's taken his [coaching] licence and Eddie Newton, who scored the second goal for Chelsea [in the 1997 FA Cup Final] and also had a serious injury, will be his number two."