Former Northern Ireland defender Steve Morrow is set to return to football.
Morrow - who won 39 caps during a 10-year international career - has landed a top job at the English Football Association, reports the Daily Mirror.
The former Arsenal defender, 50, will be FA’s new head of talent identification as part of a major revamp at St George’s Park.
One of his key roles at the FA will be to identify players and bring them to the England system and set-up to bolster their impressive run of success at youth level.
Morrow had been at Arsenal for 12 years, was head of youth development from 2014 and oversaw one of the most prolific eras of youth development since his own breakthrough at the club as a player.
Arsenal produced the likes of Bukayo Saka, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe and Ainsley Maitland-Niles during Morrow’s watch and they have all gone into the England system.
Saka, 19, and Maitland-Niles have become full England internationals while Arsenal produced the likes of Alex Iwobi and Krystian Bielik who were sold for a £40m-plus profit.
Morrow was a key figure during Arsene Wenger’s reign and also had a glowing reputation within coaching and youth development circles before his departure from the Emirates in 2019.
That was a strange decision on Arsenal’s part bearing in mind his success with the club and also his history as a player.
Morrow was the hero of the 1993 League Cup win which then turned into heartbreak as he scored but was dropped by Tony Adams in the post-match celebrations and broke his collar bone.
Former Northern Ireland international Morrow came through with the likes of Adams, David Rocastle, Michael Thomas and Ray Parlour during his time at the club.
It will be seen as a major coup by the FA as they build up the Talent ID department under highly-respected technical director John McDermott.
They are also recruiting a new England under-21s boss after Aidy Boothroyd’s departure.
The likes of Justin Cochrane, Sol Campbell and Liam Rosenior are in the frame for that job and bringing players into the system, identifying talent for England and making sure they join into the St George’s Park set-up will be key to Morrow’s role.
