Former Nottingham Forest boss Steve McClaren has made a return to coaching - and to one of his old clubs.
The 61-year-old has been appointed as one of the assistant coaches to new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, with Mitchell van der Gaag also taking up the same role. McClaren was previously assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford from 1999 to 2001.
The appointment sees McClaren reunited with Ten Hag, who was his number two when he was in charge at Dutch side Twente. Van Der Gaag, meanwhile, has spent the last year as Ten Hag’s assistant at Ajax.
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McClaren spent time working as an advisor at Derby County this season, but has been out of coaching or management since being axed by QPR in April 2019. In addition to the Reds, the Rams, Twente and Rangers, he has also been in charge of Middlesbrough, England, Wolfsburg and Newcastle United.
Along with Ten Hag and Van Der Gaag, he was in attendance at Selhurst Park on Sunday as United concluded their season with a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace. According to the club’s official website, McClaren recently said of Ten Hag: “I thought I worked hard until I met Erik. His great strength lies not just in his attention to detail and organisation. He has a clear philosophy of how he wants to play football; the environment he wants to create.”
The new United set-up will soon have a decision to make on the future of midfielder James Garner as his second loan spell at the City Ground comes to an end - although what happens in Sunday’s Championship play-offs final could have an impact. It is expected he will at least be given a chance to impress Ten Hag in pre-season.
However, it has also been reported another loan move could be in the offing, with Forest a potential destination should they achieve promotion. And the 21-year-old has also been linked with Leeds United and Southampton.
