Sir Alex Ferguson’s long-term former assistant Mike Phelan is set to make a dramatic return to Manchester United alongside caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to steer the club until the end of the season.

The 56 year old was told by David Moyes that there was no room for him at United after Ferguson retired in the summer of 2013 and since then has managed briefly at Norwich City and Hull City.

The decision to allow him to leave was viewed in retrospect as a mistake with even Ferguson saying subsequently that the club were wrong to let him go. Phelan played for United under Ferguson between 1989 and 1994 and worked for the club as a coach in different guises for 14 years.

As revealed by Telegraph Sport, Solskjaer is a leading candidate at Manchester United to succeed Jose Mourinho as manager on a temporary basis until the end of the season.

The former United striker is currently manager of Molde in Norway, where he is in his second spell in charge and were he to come back to United then his first game in charge would be against former club Cardiff City.