As one source said recently, sometimes you need a player on the pitch to give academy players "a good f****** talking to' because football is a brutally competitive environment.
The noise at Premier League grounds drowns out what the players are saying, but anyone who follows football down the English pyramid will know what an unforgiving place football can be because in-game conversations are often audible.
Nobody wants to be on the losing side - it's kill or be killed. That is the reality of senior football and it helps explain why Premier League clubs are opening their doors for players in the winter of their careers to take on hybrid academy player-coach roles.
Brighton were the first top-flight club to create the role and Dan Ashworth, who is now the sporting director at Old Trafford, was one of the pioneers behind the decision. ALSO READ: United respond to claims Casemiro left Old Trafford at half-time ALSO READ: United player ratings vs Liverpool as Casemiro awful The Seagulls appointed Andrew Crofts in a player-coach role for their Under-21 team in 2019.