Manchester United chiefs are 'sensitive' over Mike Phelan's situation at the club - and are looking for a new role for him after Erik ten Hag axed him from his coaching staff.
The Dutchman has wasted no time in getting his new house in order and that includes some ruthless axe-swinging. Phelan was almost immediately dismissed by the incoming manager with Ten Hag keen to bring in his own staff.
The plan with Ralf Rangnick, who was supposed to stay on in a consultancy role, has been scrapped, while his coaches including Chris Armas, Ewan Sharp and Sascha Lense have all departed as well. Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McClaren have been brought in while goalkeeping coach Richard Hartis and set-piece specialist Eric Ramsay have survived the cull.
But perhaps one of the more high-profile coaching departures is that of Phelan, who was ruthlessly cut from the backroom set-up as one of Ten Hag's first actions since taking charge. The old-school coach has been at United for 21 years - both with Sir Alex Ferguson and then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
However, Ten Hag wants to refresh the squad and that means changing more than just the underperforming players. While that might spell bad news for Phelan, the club have been sensitive to the matter and have their own plans.
According to The Athletic, Old Trafford chiefs are looking for a new role that the 59-year-old can complete - though it is unclear what that entitles so far. Phelan became Ferguson's assistant in 2008, probably United's best seasons since the turn of the century after winning the Champions League and Premier League with grand success.
He also made over 100 appearances for the Red Devils from 1989 to 1994 and knows the club inside-out and there could be a spot within the hierarchy for the former midfielder. Nevertheless, widespread changes at the United might just be the gamble that Ten Hag needs to go through with to garner any success.
It has been a miserable year at Old Trafford after finishing sixth in the Premier League and totalling their worst-ever points tally since the competition began. No other Premier League campaign has seen more losses than last season while disastrous cup runs in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Champions League just compounded the gloom around Matt Busby's Way.
Ten Hag has made some ambitious promises, including breaking the dominance at the top of the table seen by Manchester City and Liverpool. But has quelled any talk of an immediate return to success, instead insisting that the primary target will be to return to the top four.
"I said this is the project, to bring Man United back on top, but also we have to accept the current situation we are in," Ten Hag said. "First of all, Man United belong in the Champions League, so that will be the first target."
