Spending Christmas at home is a rarity for Matt Bloomfield, who has spent his entire adult life surrounded by football, but that doesn’t mean a break. After leaving Luton, he also visited clubs in the Premier League and Championship, and even reading books was research for him.

“I’ve just started writing Gareth Southgate’s book,” he said sky sports. “I admire the way he carries himself and the way he treats people. I’m still reading Phil Jackson’s Eleven Rings.” Researching the legendary basketball coach’s career isn’t about escapism.

“Everything I read was about leadership because I felt like I was learning,” Bloomfield explains. “I read books, I take classes. I can’t just sit at home and do nothing. When I get my next job, I want to feel like I have a higher chance of success because of this break.”

A conversation with the 41-year-old Bloomfield reveals just how interesting football management can be. He was particularly driven, working with a mindset coach and a sports psychologist later in his long career.

“I don’t want to leave no stone unturned in my career. I want to maximize every bit of potential in my career. I played my first tournament at the age of 36 and achieved the highest level I could in the last few years of my career.

“Before that, I put in a lot of effort in the gym, nutrition, tactics, but I never worked on my head. In my twenties, I probably played with fear. I never put any effort into what my head was telling me.” That change served him well in coaching.

His departure from Luton Town in October, with the club three points adrift of the play-off places in League One, represented the first real turning point in his managerial career after impressive spells at Colchester United and Wycombe Wanderers.

“Broken gut,” is how Bloomfield described his feelings after his time at Kenilworth Road was cut short. He was so impressive last season that only Burnley and Leeds in the Championship have picked up more points since March.

After inheriting a tough situation it proved insufficient to keep Luton in the league, but he is proud of his impact. “We’ve really turned things around. The club is in a position where it needs a lot of work. It feels like we’ve changed the mentality of the whole club.”

He added: “The previous three away wins were in three different calendar years. But we went to Cardiff and won. We went to Derby and won. Being the third-best team in the last quarter of the season is no mean feat, given where we come from.”

The mood for summer is optimistic, but the scale of change is a challenge. “Double relegation means a lot of players will move on. We did a lot of work in the offseason to convince players to sign with us. We did a lot of things right. Maybe not all.”

“Any rebuild is not going to be linear and will take time to work out. I know it’s not going to look perfect, how I want it to look, but we have to be patient. Ultimately, in 11 games, 13 players were unavailable and we ran out of time. It’s very disappointing.”

He remains frustrated at not being able to see his vision take shape. “When I came into Luton, the formation that suited the players best was not the formation I went to play in, but I was flexible about it.” Now, he views it all as a learning experience.

“The three jobs I’ve had so far have all been made up of players who are coming off the end of the cycle and we’ve got to rebuild. I love developing young players and we’ve brought the average age down every time. There’s a lot of work to do at Colchester.

“When I went to Wycombe everything had the stamp of Gareth Ainsworth on it and that’s absolutely right because of the great job he did there for over a decade and what a legacy he left. But the team needs to look different so it’s an evolution as well.”

In Luton, there are also unusual challenges. When goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski lost his father, Bloomfield traveled to Belgium to support him and meet his mother. The player described it as an “incredible move”.

“You’ve got to take care of the person. That’s always the primary concern. You’ve got to make them feel reassured that you’re there for their best interest. You’ve got to connect with the football players, with the people, and let them know how much you care.”

“My whole philosophy on leadership is built around people. Have empathy for people, but lead with courage and bold intensity because if you have a happy, comfortable person, you’re going to get more out of them on the football field.”

His own career ended after a series of concussions, which was tough but helped him develop empathy. “I don’t play contact sports anymore. I’ve definitely moved away from anything that might put me at more risk for a concussion.”

But management is something Bloomfield won’t give up. “I really want to use this opportunity to reflect on my journey so far, but also expand my knowledge. I’m eager to get better and improve, so I’m working on how I work.”

Club visits, one day at a Premier League club and four at a Championship club, were all part of the self-analysis, including getting up to speed on the latest developments on set-pieces. “I wrote a lot,” he said. Some of them affirm ideas, others challenge them.

Therefore, there is every reason to believe Bloomfield will be a better coach when he returns. The appetite remains. “That’s what keeps me energized. I know the right job is out there and I can be successful in it long-term. I loved it and I want to do it again.”