Manchester United are preparing to announce that Neil Wood and Quinton Fortune have been placed in charge of the Under-23 team as the club continues its drive towards appointing former players in key positions.

United have been looking for a new Under-23 management team since Ricky Sbragia departed in May.

Wood, 36, who came through United’s academy as a player but never made a senior appearance, will take over as head coach with Fortune, who made 126 appearances for the club between 1999 and 2005, serving as his assistant.

United have been looking at making a number of changes to the academy structure behind the scenes and are likely to announce Wood and Fortune’s appointments later this week as part of that.

Wood represented United’s reserve team as a player before leaving for Coventry City in 2004 and later played for Oldham Athletic. He returned to United in September 2014 as an academy coach after impressing in a similar role at Aston Villa.