Goal speaks to the Ireland international about why he chose to play for the Red Devils' youth team, 15 years after he first departed Old Trafford

On July 23, just a few hours after Manchester United had confirmed the signing of Jadon Sancho, they made another transfer announcement.

Red Devils supporters were expecting a new centre-back to arrive as rumours swirled regarding a move to Raphael Varane, and though the latest new arrival does play at the heart of defence, his was not the name on the lips of most United fans.

That is not to say that the return of Paul McShane to Old Trafford is any less important in terms of shaping the club's future than the first-team signings made over the summer, though.

McShane, who came through the United academy system before leaving in 2006 to enjoy a nomadic career throughout the English game, has been brought back to the club in an 'innovative role', which will see him both play alongside and coach the club's next cohort of youngsters.

Despite being 35, he will play exclusively for Neil Wood's Under-23s team, with no chance of him being called-up to the first team, even with the injury issues facing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as he prepares to deal with both Varane andy Harry Maguire being out in the coming weeks.

“It was a no-brainer for me,” McShane tells Goal. “To come back to Manchester United, and also to make that transition from playing to coaching, it’s a great opportunity for me.

"Last season, when I played it wasn’t enough for me to just keep turning up as a player, I felt I wanted that little bit more responsibility and to get involved with the coaching side of things, and this allows me to do that but also have the beauty of still playing.”

But wasn’t he worried about the stigma of being the ‘old one’ playing in the youth team? Especially when he had offers on the table to continue playing in the Football League for at least another season.

“It didn’t cross my mind at all actually, I was just buzzing to get involved,” he explains. “The first time I thought about it was when an opposition player told me I must be rubbish if I was still playing reserve level football at 35-years-old. I don’t think they quite got the role!”