Quote:United’s first-team coach Rene Meulensteen is expected to leave the club in the next 24 hours following last week's departures of Mike Phelan and Eric Steele. Times journalist James Ducker claims the Dutchman has been "offered the chance to remain at United to work with their youth academy in a role similar to that which he filled for five years between 2001 and 2006 but the Dutchman is almost certain to seek a new challenge elsewhere."

Quote:Manchester United first-team coach Rene Meulensteen has denied stepping down or being sacked and says he will report for duty at the club at the start of July.

Sir Alex Ferguson retired as manager at the end of the season and it was announced shortly afterwards that assistant boss Mike Phelan and goalkeeping coach Eric Steele had also left their roles.

David Moyes is keen to get his own backroom team in place and it was thought that Meulensteen may also depart Old Trafford.

The Dutchman has been linked with a move to Wigan Athletic to replace Roberto Martinez and his future still appears unclear, but he insists there have been no developments yet and he is still in a job with United.

He told Dutch football magazine ELF Voetbal: "So far I will report on July 1. I am still under contract at the club.

"I didn't step down, and also I was not sacked by Manchester United. I am still employed."

Quote:Rene Meulensteen has left his role as Manchester United first-team coach.

Meulensteen was expected to depart Old Trafford following the arrival of David Moyes as Sir Alex Ferguson's successor and he follows backroom duo Mike Phelan and Eric Steele, who have also exited the club.

Moyes can now press on with plans to bring in his own coaching staff as he prepares for his first season as United manager.

Reports have suggested Meulensteen could link up with fellow Dutchman Guus Hiddink at Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala and he was also thought to be one of the contenders for the Wigan job.

Meulensteen spent five years at United as the coach of youth and reserve teams until 2006, but he soon returned for a second spell in 2007 and was quickly hired as first-team coach.

"I would like to thank Sir Alex Ferguson, the owners, all colleagues, players and fans who made my time at Manchester United very special and one I will never forget," he said.

"I wish everyone at this great football club all the best."

Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward said: "I'd like to thank Rene for his contribution to the club, particularly since he returned to Old Trafford in 2007.

"He has been first-team coach for five years and in that time he has given great assistance to Alex and Mike Phelan in keeping the team at the top of the game, not only in this country but in Europe as well.

"On behalf of everyone at United, I wish him well for the future."

Quote:Rene Meulensteen is being replaced as coach of Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala little more than two weeks after he was appointed, the club's chairman said Wednesday.

Konstantin Remchukov also said that "many expensive players" will leave, but the club later insisted there was "no discussion" of a mass selloff.

Gadzhi Gadzhiev will take over from former Manchester United coach Meulensteen, Remchukov wrote on Twitter. He didn't elaborate on the circumstances of and the reasons for the departure of Meulensteen, a respected former first-team coach at Manchester United who succeeded Guus Hiddink in late July.

However, Remchukov also said that "many expensive players will leave" the club and that its budget will shrink to between $50 million and $70 million. According to Russian sports website Sports.ru, Anzhi's budget reached $180 million in 2012.

A club statement issued several hours later seemed to contradict Remchukov's words. "There is no discussion of any kind of mass selling-off of the football players or of any other measures discussed in the media," the club said. "The club will respect all of the contractual obligations of its players."
But the club did say the team will in future "be founded on long-term perspectives for the development of the club, which of course assumes certain changes in its team makeup."

Owner Suleyman Kerimov pumped money into the team from his native Dagestan after purchasing the club in 2011, attracting foreign players and coaching talent. The team's players include former Barcelona and Inter Milan forward Samuel Eto'o.

In his series of Twitter messages, Remchukov didn't offer details on which and how many players might leave Anzhi.

The club's statement said that budget changes made necessary by UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations - which aim to stop clubs from spending more than they earn - "will not contribute to any essential degradation of the team."

The statement did not mention the status of the coach.