Rene Meulensteen, Manchester United‘s former first-team coach who helped Sir Alex Ferguson win seven major trophies during his time at the club, is back in English football after being appointed Stockport County’s director of football methodology.
The 62-year-old Dutchman, who was Fulham‘s head coach for three months during the 2013-14 season, has spent over a decade away from the English game, managing Israel’s Maccabi Haifa and India‘s Kerala Blasters before taking on international coaching roles with Australia and Iraq.
But now, Ferguson’s former lieutenant has been tasked with building an ‘elite football department’ at League One outfit Stockport County, working alongside the club’s first-team staff and academy in a surprise new role.
For Red Devils fans, Meulensteen’s return is a reminder of the remarkable backroom team Ferguson assembled during his 26-year reign at Old Trafford.
While Sir Alex acted as the figurehead, many of the club’s greatest triumphs were built alongside a trusted group of coaches and assistants who mastered tactics, developed promising players and helped maintain the standards that delivered 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues and a myriad of domestic honours.
After Meulensteen’s latest career move, Daily Mail Sport takes a look at what Ferguson’s trusted right-hand men went on to do after life at Old Trafford.
Rene Meulensteen (right), Man United’s former first-team coach who helped Sir Alex Ferguson (left) win seven major trophies during his time at the club, has landed a surprise new role
Meulensteen, pictured in 2008 with Cristiano Ronaldo, has been appointed Stockport County’s director of football methodology – in his first role in English football for over a decade
The Dutchman has joined Stockport County in League One as director of football methodology
Carlos Queiroz
The Portuguese, who is widely regarded as Ferguson’s most influential assistant, served two spells at Manchester United between 2002-03 and 2004-08, either side of a year as Real Madrid manager.
Queiroz helped modernise United’s tactical approach and played a key role in the Red Devils team that won back-to-back Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League, with Ferguson often crediting him for bringing fresh ideas to Old Trafford.
After leaving Manchester in 2008, Queiroz embarked on a globe-trotting international coaching career, initially managing Portugal at the 2010 World Cup before enjoying two highly successful spells with Iran, leading them to three consecutive World Cups.
One of the most experienced international managers in the game, Queiroz also coached Colombia, Egypt, Qatar and Oman before he was named Ghana head coach ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Taking charge just two months before the tournament, the 73-year-old coach guided the Black Stars to the knockout stages after carving out a goalless draw with England, before losing in the round of 16 against Colombia.
Queiroz is waiting for his next opportunity in football after stepping down following Ghana’s World Cup exit.
Carlos Queiroz, who took charge of Ghana at the 2026 World Cup, was Ferguson’s trusted No 2
Mike Phelan
Former Manchester United defender Phelan became one of Ferguson’s closest confidants during his second spell at Old Trafford, serving as assistant manager from 2008 until the legendary manager’s retirement in 2013.
Having first joined the club as a coach in 2001, Phelan was a key figure in the dugout as the Red Devils beefed up their trophy cabinet with five Premier League titles and a Champions League before Ferguson’s ultimate farewell.
Following his retirement, Phelan initially stayed on under David Moyes before leaving the club later that year. He went on to manage Hull City during the 2016-17 season but was sacked after just three months with the Tigers rock bottom of the Premier League.
Phelan, who also worked as assistant manager at Central Coast Mariners in Australia, returned to Manchester United in 2018 as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s assistant, steadying the club during the Norwegian’s tenure before departing for a second time in 2022.
Since leaving Old Trafford, Phelan has kept a relatively low profile. While he has been linked with several coaching roles, he has instead focused on consultancy work and media appearances, remaining open to a return to management or coaching.
The 63-year-old is currently working as a football consultant and ambassador, with no full-time position in the game.
Mike Phelan, pictured in 2024, is currently working as a football consultant and ambassador
Brian Kidd
Kidd was one of Ferguson’s important early lieutenants at United, serving as assistant manager from 1991 to 1998.
A former United player who had been part of the 1968 European Cup-winning side, Kidd returned to Old Trafford after Ferguson’s arrival and played a key role in the club’s transformation.
He helped oversee the emergence of the Class of ’92, including the development of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and the rest of the young squad that became the foundation of United’s dominance.
After leaving Old Trafford in 1998, Kidd took his first steps into management with Blackburn Rovers before moving into a series of coaching roles. He worked with Leeds United, England, Sheffield United and Portsmouth, before becoming part of Manchester City’s coaching staff in 2009.
As assistant manager under Roberto Mancini and later Manuel Pellegrini, Kidd helped City win two Premier League titles in 2012 and 2014. He stayed at the Etihad for more than a decade and became a rare respected figure across both the blue and red side of Manchester.
Kidd, now 72, left City in 2024 after 15 years at the club and has since stepped away from full-time coaching.
Brian Kidd has stepped away from full-time coaching after fruitful stints at both City and United
Steve McClaren
McClaren’s hugely successful spell as Ferguson’s No 2 between 1999 and 2001 earned the Englishman his first managerial role at Middlesbrough, where he remained for five years before departing in 2006.
The now 65-year-old boss won the League Cup and reached the 2006 UEFA Cup final with Boro before being appointed England manager, succeeding Sven-Goran Eriksson.
McClaren was sacked 16 months later after he failed to qualify England for the 2008 European Championship and remains to this day the second-shortest serving Three Lions boss in history behind Sam Allardyce, who lasted only 67 days.
Although his spell with the national team ended in disappointment, McClaren rebuilt his reputation by winning the Eredivisie title with FC Twente and later took charge of a host of clubs including Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest, Derby, Newcastle and Queens Park Rangers.
In 2022, the ex-England boss returned to Manchester United as Erik ten Hag’s assistant, before leaving to become Jamaica head coach in 2024.
Steve McClaren was appointed Rotherham United’s new head of football back in May
McClaren, like Meulensteen, is now back in English football after being appointed Rotherham United’s head of football just three months ago.
The role, which was created after Rotherham suffered relegation to League Two last campaign, will see McClaren provide strategic leadership across the club’s football operations, overseeing recruitment and long-term planning.
Archie Knox
Knox, who previously worked with Ferguson at Aberdeen, helped lay the foundations for success at Manchester United between 1986 and 1991, acting as the legendary manager’s first true right-hand man at Old Trafford.
The trusted Scot was brought to Manchester to help rebuild the club during what was a difficult transition period under Ferguson, who struggled initially before becoming the most decorated manager in history.
After leaving United in 1991, Knox continued to build an impressive coaching career, following former Rangers and Scotland manager Walter Smith into roles at the Ibrox, Everton and the Scottish national team.
He briefly returned to Aberdeen as assistant manager before enjoying coaching spells at teams including Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Coventry City, Motherwell and Dundee.
Archie Knox, pictured right alongside Ferguson and Gordon Stachan (left) in 2021, has largely stepped away from the public spotlight after retiring from full-time coaching
Knox has since retired from full-time coaching and has largely stepped away from the public spotlight.
Now aged 79, he remains highly respected within Scottish and English football and is remembered as one of Ferguson’s most important early allies – the No 2 who helped turn struggling United into a club capable of challenging for major honours.
Eric Harrison
Harrison was never Ferguson’s direct No 2, but few people had a greater influence on Manchester United during the club’s glory years.
The former Manchester City star joined United as youth team coach in 1981 and remained at the club after Ferguson arrived in 1986, becoming one of the Scot’s most trusted figures behind the scenes.
Harrison was tasked with developing United’s next generation of players and was the driving force behind the famous Class of ’92, nurturing talents including Beckham, Giggs, Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers (Gary and Phil). His work provided Ferguson with a core group of players that went on to dominate English football during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Eric Harrison was the driving force behind United’s famous Class of ’92 (Pictured left to right: Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Harrison, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, David Beckham)
After stepping away from full-time coaching at United in the late 1990s, Harrison continued to have a huge impact on youth development. He worked as a consultant and coach educator, sharing his methods with clubs and coaches, before retiring from football and spending his later years away from the game.
Harrison was diagnosed with dementia and sadly passed away in February 2019 at the age of 81. Ferguson, paying tribute to the immense impact he had on United’s golden era, described him as ‘one of the greatest coaches of our time’.
