Phelan to help sort out United

team together as he is still close to some of the players.

United have won just three of their six games since Rangnick replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and England left-back Luke Shaw (above) pointed to a lack of motivation and togetherness after Monday’s 1-0 home defeat to Wolves.

The attempts by Rangnick’s sports psychologist Sascha Lense to lift the mood have failed and the German coach is under increasing pressure to fix the problems.

He held a long meeting with Phelan, 59, whose association with the club stretches back to 1989, and asked him to speak to the squad on both a group and individual basis in the hope of improving the atmosphere in camp.

Phelan, who in October signed a new contract until 2024, has worked under Sir Alex Ferguson and Solskjaer – now Rangnick hopes he will be able to help heal the fractured dressing room.

Meanwhile, defender Axel Tuanzebe, 24, is poised to join Napoli on loan following the end of his stay at Aston Villa.