Manchester United have removed Mike Phelan from the first-team coaching staff but he remains contracted to the club.
Phelan has not been visible during Erik ten Hag's coaching sessions in pre-season and the club have confirmed Phelan is no longer involved in first-team affairs.
United are still in discussions with Phelan about a potential ambassadorial role. Former players Bryan Robson, Denis Irwin, Andy Cole and Wes Brown are the ambassadors present in Thailand for the club's pre-season tour.
Also read: Three United players could make statements of intent on tour
Phelan rejoined United in December 2018 when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed caretaker manager and he was appointed full-time assistant manager in May 2019.
First-team coaches Michael Carrick, Kieran McKenna and Martyn Pert left within a month of Solskjaer's sacking in November last year and Phelan was the only high-profile senior staff member to remain.
Ralf Rangnick questioned Phelan's role at the club weeks into his tenure as interim manager in December and revealed he was "never on the pitch" for training.
"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 said at the time. "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.
"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, as I said. Chris will not replace Mike but much rather Michael Carrick."
Phelan played for United between 1989-1994 and returned to the club as a coach in 2000. He was added to Sir Alex Ferguson's first-team staff in 2001 and replaced Carlos Queiroz as assistant in 2008.
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