Former Leeds United manager Steve Evans has opened up on the personal message of support he received from Marcelo Bielsa.
Steve Evans took charge of Leeds during the disastrous Massimo Cellino era, replacing Uwe Rosler in October 2015 on a rolling contract until the end of the season.
Leeds finished 13th under Evans, 15 points off the play-offs, before replacing him with Garry Monk at the end of the season.
Evans has undergone a major physical transformation since his time at Leeds, shedding six and a half stone in weight after embarking on a new fitness regime.
Now, Evans has revealed that Marcelo Bielsa had sent him a personal message of support after seeing a video of his weight loss.
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Photo by Harry Trump/Getty ImagesSteve Evans reveals personal message from Marcelo Bielsa
Speaking to ITV’s Calendar News, Evans opened up on his personal message from the current Uruguay manager, who could face England in a friendly next year.
According to Evans, Bielsa said he did not recognise Evans following his transformation, and thought he must have a brother who had gone into coaching.
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“Yeah, it was a garbled message from Marcelo. I spent some time with Marcelo when he was Leeds coach,” Evans said.
“Apparently he’s seen a video of me, six and half stone down, and he thought it was my brother.” Former #rufc & #lufc manager Steve Evans says he’s received a message from Marcelo Bielsa on his incredible weight loss. More on @itvcalendar tonight at 6pm pic.twitter.com/AtYrEsYGm8
— Chris Dawkes (@chrisdawkesITV) October 8, 2025
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“I wanted to go and see him, so I travelled up from the clubs I was at. Marcelo, via Victor Orta, I was allowed in, and I watched him. I got to know Marcelo.
“Apparently, he’s seen a video of me, he said I’m six and a half stone down and he didn’t believe, he thought it was my brother, he said you must have a brother coach, and that was the nature of the message.”
Photo by Ernesto Ryan/Getty ImagesEvans praises Marcelo Bielsa’s impact at Leeds United
Bielsa transformed Leeds from serial mid-table finishers in the Championship to a Premier League club during his time in West Yorkshire.
According to Evans, he is one of the most influential managers in the club’s recent history after ending a culture of under-performance at Elland Road.
Evans continued: “I think he was the evolution at Leeds United in terms of the managers, the coaches that had been there for a while.
“And Marcelo went in, and we’d all seen the way they played. They played fantastic, flowing football. They attacked and they moved, and they worked hard.”