Ralf Rangnick clarifies Mike Phelan's position at Man Utd with Chris Armas arriving
Mike Phelan's role on the Manchester United coaching staff has come under scrutiny following news that Ralf Rangnick is bringing in Chris Armas as his assistant manager
Ralf Rangnick has clarified Mike Phelan’s role at Manchester United following the appointment of Chris Armas as assistant coach.
United’s interim manager confirmed the arrivals of Armas and sports psychologist Sascha Lense earlier this week.
Former New York Red Bulls manager Armas will join Rangnick’s coaching staff to work alongside Kieran McKenna.
The 49-year-old American will replace Michael Carrick, who was on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ’s staff but decided to leave the club following his three-match spell as interim manager.
Rangnick bolstering his backroom staff had led to questions about Phelan’s future at the club, but the German says Armas’ arrival will not affect his role with the club.
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"Since Michael Carrick is no longer on board we needed somebody else to replace him, so Chris Armas is one of two assistant coaches now with Kieran," Rangnick explained.
"So I have the two of them who help me to prepare training sessions, to discuss video footage together with [analyst] Paul Brand.
"Mike Phelan is not watching the training sessions – he also didn’t do that when Ole was in charge – but he’s also part of the training group of the staff.
READ MORE: Man Utd staff made Michael Carrick thoughts clear after rejecting chance to stayREAD MORE: Ralf Rangnick confirms three conditions must be met for Man Utd to make January transfer"But he is never on the pitch when we train. He’s not out there and he didn’t do that when Ole was in charge.
“Chris will not replace Mike, but much rather Michael Carrick."
Phelan signed a fresh three-year contract with United earlier this season in what was seen as a show of faith in Solskjaer at the time.
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The 59-year-old worked as an assistant under Sir Alex Ferguson – a role which saw him plan and take training sessions – and was considered an influential voice for Solskjaer during his time in charge.
However, the departure of the Norwegian has weakened his hand, with Phelan noticeably removed from the rest of Rangnick’s coaching staff on match days.
The Manchester Evening News reports that he has come under mounting pressure to leave the club following the significant developments in the past few weeks.
Phelan is a clear connection to the old regimes at Old Trafford, having played for the club and had two stints as assistant manager.
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He helped the club win the 1990 FA Cup, 1991 European Cup Winners' Cup and 1993 Premier League title.
Phelan moved on to West Brom in 1994 and retired a year later before moving back to United as reserve team manager in 200.
He was Ferguson’s assistant from 2008 to 2013 and re-joined the club once again as first-team coach when Solskjaer was appointed in December 2018 before becoming assistant in May 2019.