Huddlestone left Hull City in the summer
Former Tottenham Hotspur and England midfielder Tom Huddlestone is set to join Manchester United as a player-coach for the club’s U21s.
The 35-year-old, who left Hull City in the summer, will use his experience to help mentor the Red Devils’ young players as they look to progress and develop into first-team players.
Last season, United recruited defender Paul McShane, who was later promoted to full-time player development phase coach.
McShane and Huddlestone know each other from their time together at Hull, and the former knew that Huddlestone had a desire to get into coaching.
The 36-year-old McShane made only five appearances last season in his mentor role, and it is thought that Huddlestone is unlikely to play more than that – barring any injuries.
The expectation is that Tom Huddlestone will make even fewer appearances for #mufc youth, unless there is an injury crisis, with his role more focused on coaching rather than playing matches #mujournal
[@RichFay] pic.twitter.com/vOtcpazixR
— United Journal (@theutdjournal) August 2, 2022
He views the opportunity as very much a coaching role, and hopes that he can use his ability to help drive standards by taking part in training sessions.
Cox keen to recruit Huddlestone
The club’s academy manager Nick Cox is keen to bring Huddlestone to Old Trafford and views his appointment as vital. Cox wants the younger United players to learn from the former England international and tap into his experience.
Premier League rivals Liverpool have taken a similar step this summer by bringing back Jay Spearing to work with their U21 squad.
The Red Devils have made a number of changes to their coaching set up this summer, with former Porto, West Ham and Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy joining first-team manager Erik ten Hag’s staff at the weekend.
Huddlestone had made 242 Premier League appearances during his playing career, registering 12 goals and 24 assists.
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