The Aon Training Complex at Carrington.

Restructure of Under-23s set-up completed

Thursday 04 July 2019 13:00

Ahead of the 2019/20 season, Manchester United has completed a restructure of the Under-23s coaching set-up.

The club is delighted to announce the appointment of Neil Wood as lead coach of the Under-23s; he will be assisted by Quinton Fortune. The restructure also sees Head of Academy Nicky Butt undertake increased involvement in the team’s overall programme.

Neil, a former Manchester United youth-team player, returned to the club as a coach in 2014, following a playing career in the English Football League. He has coached across Under-16s, Under-18s and Under-23s during his time at the club.

Quinton, who featured 126 times for United, won the Premier League alongside Butt in 2002/03 and recently completed his UEFA A Licence.

Neil Wood and Nicky Butt watching on from the sidelines in the UEFA Youth League.

Nicky Butt said: "The Academy is completely focused on producing well-rounded players for our first team and we believe that this new structure provides the perfect platform to achieve this aim.

"Myself, Neil and Quinton have long-standing connections with Manchester United and bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our roles that we will pass on to the young players. It is such an exciting time for the Academy with Ole as first-team manager, who truly believes in the development of homegrown talent. It was a great source of pride that three Academy graduates made their first-team debuts last season. As a group, we will now look to build on this success.”

Neil Wood said: "It is a real honour to be appointed as lead coach for the Under-23s, I have learnt a lot about this age group over the last few seasons. This club has been a major part of my life since I joined the Academy in 1999 and I am delighted to continue that relationship in this role.

"The Academy has a fantastic record of developing players ready to play for Manchester United and the opportunity to have a role in continuing that tradition is extremely exciting." 

Quinton Fortune will assist with Under-23s duties after gaining his coaching licence.

Quinton Fortune said: "I am delighted to return to the club in this new role. As a former player, I know exactly what it takes and also what it means to play for Manchester United. I’ll be passing on all of this experience to our young players as we look to define their individual development pathways.

"I have a great relationship with Ole, whom I also worked with at Cardiff when I was assistant manager of their Under-21s, and I look forward to working with him again alongside Nicky and Neil. We will all work together in order to achieve the ultimate aim of producing players capable of performing in Manchester United’s first team."

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