Man Utd hand assistant manager Phelan a new contract until 2024
Manchester United have handed assistant manager, Mike Phelan, a new contract – in a move which further underlines their support for boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Sportsmail understands that Norwegian’s No 2 has had his current deal – which was due to expire next year – extended to 2024.
That duration matches the length of the new contract Solskjaer signed in July and will be viewed as more backing for the manager, who has overseen a stuttering start to United’s campaign despite a big summer outlay.
Saturday’s disappointing 1-1 draw with Everton meant the Premier League giants have failed to win four of their last seven games in all competitions.
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Despite sitting joint-third in the table with rivals City, embarrassing losses at home to Aston Villa in the league and West Ham in the EFL Cup and at Swiss minnows Young Boys in the Champions League have ramped up the heat on Solskjaer ahead of the international break.
After the stalemate with the Toffees, Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the summer acquisitions, stormed down the tunnel in a move that drew criticism from ex-United defender Gary Neville.
‘Actions like that – and Cristiano is smart enough to know this – will bring real pressure on the manager, more pressure than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is already under,’ said Neville of the Portuguese, who started the game from the bench.
Phelan, 59, is a much-liked figure within the club, for whom he played. He was a long-serving assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson but departed following the appointment of David Moyes in 2013.
He returned to assist Solskjaer, initially on a temporary basis, in late 2018 following the exit of Jose Mourinho.
Solskjaer has been heavily backed since taking the role on a permanent basis in March 2019. This summer, Raphael Varane (£41m), Jadon Sancho (£73m) arrived before Ronaldo, with a widely-held view that the Norwegian needs to deliver some form of return on the substantial investment.