FORMER Blackburn Rovers striker Benni McCarthy is joining Manchester United as first-team coach with special responsibility for their strikers.

FORMER England futsal Head Coach Michael Skubala has been appointed Under-21s boss at Leeds United. He replaces Mark Jackson, who was promoted to the first-team set-up under Jesse Marsch last season

CARDIFF CITY Academy Manager David Hughes has joined Manchester United as a Professional Development Phase coach as the club make a number of new appointments.

GUS WILLIAMS has been appointed as Blackburn Rovers’ new Head of Recruitment after 22 years with the Football Association of Wales.

ANDY GOLDIE has left Dundee United after three years to become the new Academy Manager at Swansea City. The 37-year-old replaces Jon Grey, who took charge of the Swans Academy last September and will now lead the Under-21s.

MARK WALLER has left Rangers after four years to become Head of Medicine at Leicester City. The hugely experienced doctor replaces Bryan English, who left the club at the end of last season and joined Middlesbrough.

STEVEN REID says the way Steve Cooper dealt with his departure from Nottingham Forest at the end of last season emphasises what “makes him that bit more special” as a manager.

CRAIG MUDD has replaced Danny Walker as Under-23s assistant at Manchester City, with Jamie Carr stepping up from the U14s to become assistant with the U18s.

ANDREAS SCHLUMBERGER has been promoted to Head of Medicine and Fitness by Liverpool, while Frigyes Vanden Auweele has joined the club in the new position of Head of Osteopathy.

DR IMTIAZ AHMAD has been promoted to Head of Medicine and Performance by QPR as the club look to get the two departments working together cohesively.

BRENTFORD will run a Category Four Academy from the start of next season. They operated at Category Two level from 2012 to 2016 but took the decision to close their Academy in 2016.

BURNLEY’S demotion to Category Two Academy status has now been confirmed. The Academy fixtures have been released to clubs and the Clarets do not feature among the Category One sides.