Manchester United has revealed the departure of highly regarded coach Justin Cochrane, who has joined Brentford in an unexpected move away from Old Trafford.
The 40-year-old spent a year with United as head of player development and coaching but was poached by the Bees this week, dealing another blow to new United manager Erik ten Hag. Cochrane has agreed to a three-year deal with Brentford, where he will work alongside Thomas Frank in the newly created position of head of coaching.
The former Crewe Alexandra defender was signed up by the Red Devils last summer amid competition from clubs offering him first-team places after coaching England’s junior teams for the Football Association and gaining his badges during nine years at Tottenham Hotspur.
Cochrane has returned to his hometown of London to pursue his dream of working at the senior level after impressing throughout a season that saw United win the FA Youth Cup.
“Justin is an amazing coach who has done excellent work with Tottenham Hotspur, England, and Manchester United in recent years,” stated Phil Giles, the Bees’ director of football. “We’ve known him for a long time, and when the opportunity to bring him to the Club arose this summer, we jumped at the chance.” Justin will be a member of the First Team coaching staff, which will continue to be led by Thomas Frank.
Travis Binnion, who led the Red Devils’ under-18 team to the aforementioned Youth Cup and will continue to be their head coach, will take over the duties of the Hackney-born strategist at Old Trafford.
“Naturally, we are thrilled that Justin has been able to fulfill his objective of working in a first-team atmosphere,” said Nick Cox, the Red Devils’ head of the academy. I’m proud of the world-class learning environment we’ve built for our employees, and it gives me tremendous pleasure to see them advance both within the club and through outside opportunities.
“As we continue to hire best-in-class professionals throughout our world-leading youth development system, the changes incorporate an excellent combination of long-standing club personnel and great outsider appointments.” Cochrane’s resignation adds to a summer of mass exodus behind the scenes at Old Trafford, following the departures of Neil Wood, Neil Ryan, and Alan Fettis from the club’s illustrious academy.
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