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Fortune on United appointment: I know exactly what it means to play for the club

Cape Town - Manchester United have confirmed the appointment of Neil Wood as the new under-23 coach with Quinton Fortune as his assistant.

The 36-year-old Wood came through the ranks of United but never earned a senior appearance.

He went onto play for Coventry City and Oldham Athletic before returning to the Reds in 2014 as an academy coach.

"It is a real honour to be appointed as lead coach for the Under-23s, I have learnt a lot about this age group over the last few seasons. This club has been a major part of my life since I joined the Academy in 1999 and I am delighted to continue that relationship in this role," he said.

"The Academy has a fantastic record of developing players ready to play for Manchester United and the opportunity to have a role in continuing that tradition is extremely exciting."

Meanwhile, Fortune clocked in 126 appearances during his six years as a player between 1999 and 2005.

He went onto win the Intercontinental Cup (1992), Premier League (2002/03) and the FA Community Shield (2003).

The 42-year-old previously served as assistant manager of Cardiff City’s Under-21 side during current United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign at the Welsh outfit.

"I am delighted to return to the club in this new role. As a former player, I know exactly what it takes and also what it means to play for Manchester United. I’ll be passing on all of this experience to our young players as we look to define their individual development pathways," Fortune said.

"I have a great relationship with Ole, whom I also worked with at Cardiff when I was assistant manager of their Under-21s, and I look forward to working with him again alongside Nicky and Neil. We will all work together in order to achieve the ultimate aim of producing players capable of performing in Manchester United’s first team."

Fortune has also spent time with Bafana Bafana as Stuart Baxter's European-based assistant coach.

The South African is a frequent football pundit on MUTV (Manchester United TV).

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