Manchester United are close to formally announcing the appointment of Adam Lawrence as Under-21 head coach on a permanent basis.
Lawrence served as interim U21 boss in the second half of last season. United opened talks to make his stay permanent at the end of the campaign, but there has been no public announcement from the club two months on, despite Lawrence returning to manage the U21s this summer.
Pre-season and formalities
The 40-year-old has overseen pre-season, and it's understood that a formal announcement is still on track, despite the delay.
Lawrence was appointed as interim U21 manager in January following a reshuffle that saw Travis Binnion step up to the first team coaching staff. Lawrence had left Newcastle and sealed a return to United, seven months after he left his role as Under-18 manager.
Experience and success
Lawrence's previous experience of working at Carrington was seen as key ahead of his interim appointment. He led the U21s to the Premier League 2 play-off final, where they were narrowly beaten by Brighton, and his interim stint in charge was viewed as a success by academy chiefs.
Binnion was confirmed as a full-time member of Michael Carrick's backroom staff when the United boss landed the job after guiding the Reds to a third-place finish in the Premier League.
Binnion's role
Binnion initially stepped up to help the first team during Darren Fletcher's caretaker stint. He was retained by Carrick to continue in his role as first-team coach, a move that has made him a hit with the players.
He was not just the U21 manager, his official title was 'head of player development and coaching', but United advertised academy roles last month that suggested those responsibilities would be absorbed by two new hires.
