Farewell Rene Meulensteen

Manchester United yesterday announced the expected departure of First Team coach Rene Meulensteen. Although it’s not something you can put a wager at Betfair.com but Rene had played an important role under Sir Alex Ferguson.

With David Moyes preferring his own backroom staff, it seemed apparent that Meulensteen would be on his way out. He had reportedly been offered a role to remain at the club but it was a demotion from his current position.

Meulensteen was rated very highly by Sir Alex and the fans so his exit is a big loss to the club.

“I would like to thank Sir Alex Ferguson, the owners, all colleagues, players and fans who made my time at Manchester United very special and one I will never forget,” he said. “I wish everyone at this great football club all the best.”

Executive vice chairman Ed Woodward said: “I’d like to thank Rene for his contribution to the club, particularly since he returned to Old Trafford in 2007. He has been first-team coach for five years and in that time has given great assistance to Sir Alex Ferguson and Mick Phelan in keeping the team at the top of the game not only in this country but in Europe as well. On behalf of everyone at United, I wish him well for the future.”

If you unaware of the work Meulensteen did when he was at the club you should read this excellent article about our former coach.

Earlier this season, Robin van Persie singled Meulensteen out for praise. “The way he trains is exceptional,” he said. “He is truly one of the best coaches in the world. I have had a lot of good trainers, but it’s the way he prepares our team for games. Every match is different, so every training session in the build-up to games is unique. We know exactly what to expect and he wins points for us through his training. We’ve won a lot of games by the odd goal and they are point winners, which we train for. For instance, against Chelsea I scored after a low cross from Antonio Valencia on the right. It might seem a fluke but the whole week before the game was spent working on that move. Another example is my goal against Wigan, when I cut the ball inside and shot with my right foot. Again this situation, we trained on. Training is really good. It’s a very pleasant environment to work in.”