Mike Phelan

Mike Phelan
Phelan with Manchester United in 2012
Personal information
Full name Michael Christopher Phelan[1]
Date of birth (1962-09-24) 24 September 1962 (age 62)[1][2]
Place of birth Nelson, England[1][2]
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2][3]
Position(s) Defender[2]
Midfielder[2]
Youth career
Burnley
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1979–1985 Burnley 168 (9)
1985–1989 Norwich City 156 (9)
1989–1994 Manchester United 102 (2)
1994–1995 West Bromwich Albion 21 (0)
Total 485 (20)
International career
1981 England U18[4] 5 (0)
1989 England 1 (0)
Managerial career
1996–1997 Blackpool (assistant)
2008–2013 Manchester United (assistant)
2014–2015 Norwich City (assistant)
2015–2016 Hull City (assistant)
2016–2017 Hull City
2018–2022 Manchester United (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Michael Christopher Phelan (born 24 September 1962) is an English professional football coach and former player and coach at Manchester United.

Born in Nelson, Lancashire, he spent most of his playing career at Burnley, Norwich City and Manchester United, with a short spell at West Bromwich Albion before retirement. While he was with Manchester United he also earned a single cap for England. In 2006, Norwich fans voted Phelan into the club's Hall of Fame.

Following the end of his playing career, Phelan moved into management. He first took a position as Gary Megson's assistant at his former club, Norwich City, before following Megson to Blackpool and then Stockport County. After Megson left Stockport, Phelan was hired by another former club, Manchester United, taking over as the assistant manager of the club's reserve team. Two years later, he was promoted to become Alex Ferguson's chief first-team coach, and in 2008 he replaced Carlos Queiroz as Ferguson's assistant manager. He remained in the position until Ferguson's retirement in 2013, when Ferguson's successor David Moyes replaced the entire coaching staff.

After a year out of football, Phelan was appointed as first-team coach back at Norwich City in November 2014 and took temporary charge of the club when manager Neil Adams resigned in January 2015, only to be relieved of his duties by Adams' permanent replacement, Alex Neil. A month later, he was appointed as assistant manager at Hull City under former Manchester United teammate Steve Bruce. He was promoted to first team management following the departure of Bruce on a temporary basis before the 2016–17 season. This was made permanent on 13 October. He was sacked from his position with Hull on 3 January 2017 with the club 20th in the Premier League.

  1. ^ a b c "Mike Phelan". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Mike Phelan Player Biography". Manchester United Football Club. Archived from the original on 14 December 2000. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  3. ^ Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 262. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
  4. ^ "Match Results Under 18 1980–1990". England Football Online. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2023.