Manchester United are interested in appointing former Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia as their new under-23s manager, sources have told ESPN FC.

United have been without a reserve team boss since November when Warren Joyce left Old Trafford to take the manager's job at Wigan.

Sbragia, 61, has been out of work since leaving his position as Scotland's U21s manager in September.

He previously worked as United's reserves manager between 2002 and 2005.

He was manager of Sunderland between December 2008 and May 2009 following the departure of Roy Keane.

He has also had spells as first-team coach at Bolton, chief scout at Sunderland and manager of Scotland's U17s and U19s.

Following Joyce's departure, academy chief Nicky Butt took over United's U23s on a temporary basis.

They finished sixth in Premier League 2 Division 1 last season, missing out on a place in the playoffs.

However, academy graduates Axel Tuanzebe, Josh Harrop, Demetri Mitchell, Joel Pereira and Scott McTominay all made their debuts for Jose Mourinho's first team.

Joyce only lasted four months at Wigan before being sacked.

On Monday he was appointed manager of Australian A-League side Melbourne City, part of the City Football Group which also includes Manchester City.

Sbragia originally joined United from Sunderland in 2002 and is credited with the development of midfielder Darren Fletcher during his time at the club.

He left in 2005 to become Sam Allardyce's first-team coach at Bolton but now looks set for a return more than a decade later.