'Tigers need evolution over revolution' - Lloyd

Leon Lloyd co-founded Switch The Play Foundation which helps retires professional sportspeople into new careers

Former Leicester Tigers winger Leon Lloyd believes the club needs "evolution" - not revolution - to get them back to the top of English rugby.

Lloyd, 47, returned to Welford Road this week as a non-executive director, 18 years after leaving to join Gloucester.

He made 260 appearances for the Tigers during a prolific period of success which saw them lift 11 trophies, including back-to-back European Champions Cups in 2001 and 2002.

"The key word I used when speaking to Tom (Scott - new chairman) and Peter (Tom - club president) and people on the board was around evolution," he told BBC Radio Leicester.

"It's not a case of wanting to evolve, we have to. We can't keep doing the same things over and over again and expect different results, and the board appreciates that.

"It's [about] taking steps to try to view and approach things differently as well."

Lloyd hopes to be involved in finding a new head coach when Michael Cheika leaves at the end of the season, but does not feel sweeping change is needed.

Leicester climbed to third place in the Premiership, with six games left, after thrashing defending champions Northampton on Friday.

"If you look at what the team have been producing this year under Michael, I don't think we're that far away from being where we feel we should be as a club," Lloyd said.

"Things need to change and things need to evolve, but I don't think it's a case of throwing everything out of the bathtub and trying to figure out where to go from there because things are in a good spot."

Injury forced Lloyd to retire aged 30, shortly after his move to Gloucester, and soon after that he turned down three offers of coaching roles, including with Leicester.

"I loved playing the game and contributing in that way, but I knew that coaching, to get that close and not be able to influence it the way I would like to influence it, wasn't for me," he said.

"It's taken a long time for me to fall back in love with the game.

"I've just finished some major commitments, including a PhD, and the timing for this opportunity to come along at a club which shaped who I am as an individual, it just seems like a great time."