The Central Coast Mariners would like to endorse the temporary appointment of the club’s Sporting Director Mike Phelan to the role of first-team coach at Manchester United FC.

The Central Coast Mariners look forward to collaborating with Manchester United on the dual role that Mike Phelan will undertake over the next five months.

Upon Manchester United’s announcement of Phelan’s appointment as one of Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s first-team coaches, Phelan reaffirmed his long-term commitment to the Central Coast Mariners.

“Taking on a temporary coaching role at Manchester United is extremely exciting,” Phelan said. “It’s also a really positive step for the Mariners to have a direct link with Manchester United through my long-term role as Sporting Director.



“I’m still a Mariner. I’ve put something in place that I want to see through, but this is an opportunity with one of the biggest clubs in the world that I simply couldn’t turn down.

“I was offered the opportunity at the Mariners to pass on my experiences and wisdom in order to develop the football club back into the football club that it once was. A football club that produces players for the Mariners and beyond. It’s an exciting project, that’s my remit and we’ve put a structure in place with full time academy coaches that will ensure that we are prepared for success.

“Part of the discussion with Manchester United was that I will still be available for the Mariners.

“I will be back on the Central Coast as soon as I can. There’s a big job to do at Manchester United which will take time, but once we’ve worked through that I look forward to getting back to the Central Coast,” Phelan said.