'Alvaro Fernandez and Marc Jurado will be really good players' - Inside the development of Manchester United's youngsters

The last time Paul McShane played for Manchester United at Moss Rose in Macclesfield, Cristiano Ronaldo was about to return to England's shores, the fallout still intense from the 2006 World Cup. In the same summer, McShane and Ronaldo returned to United in markedly different roles.

McShane, 36, is 11 months younger but has effectively retired. United hope to have Ronaldo for at least one more year.

In June, McShane's contract ended at relegated Rochdale, where the centre-back performed at a level that suggested he could hack it higher up the ladder than the League One relegation quagmire. He would have merited a move to another League One club and McShane always had 36 as the age he would retire.

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McShane turned 36 in January and is about to bring down the curtain on a 20-year career that began in the United academy in 2002. The Irishman reconnected with United last season, did some punditry for MUTV and some coaching with the Under-14s and 16s. When Justin Cochrane replaced Nicky Butt as the head of player development, he reached out to McShane and proposed an innovative player-coach role in the Under-23s. United had still not finalised the signing of centre-back Raphael Varane and were conscious the McShane announcement could generate ridicule. With the appropriate context provided, it generated approval.

McShane had obtained his A-licence badge and the United coaches wanted a seasoned competitor to knock their teenage strikers into shape during training sessions and mentor the defenders. Sources at the club described McShane's on-pitch coaching role as 'invaluable' for the development of their youngsters at both ends of the pitch.

So McShane received