Manchester United have officially confirmed the appointment of former FC Toronto assistant coach Ewan Sharp as the club's new assistant coach and analyst.
Following the departures of Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna in the aftermath of Ralf Rangnick's appointment as interim manager at the end of last month, the German has been looking to bolster his backroom team.
After recently adding Chris Armas to his team, the German has now further strengthened his group of support staff with the addition of the experienced Sharp, who has worked across the world in his career.
Prized away from Lokomotiv Moscow, just as Rangnick was, Sharp is no stranger to the United boss, having worked with him at various stages in the past.
But who is he and what will he bring to Old Trafford? Below, MEN Sport has taken a close look at all you need to know about Old Trafford's latest new recruit.
Who is Ewan Sharp?
Born in Stirling, Scotland, Sharp is a former footballer who played for Stirling City in his younger days, winning their Player of the Year award at the end of the 2006/07 season.
What has he done so far?
After a short playing career, he joined Mercyhurst University in Pennsylvania to study a Major in Sport Business. During his time there, he played for the college's soccer team, regularly performing for the Wildcats whilst studying.
After graduating in 2014, Sharp became assistant coach of the team and was responsible for the implementation of video editing and looking after an analysis scheme.
That enabled the Scot to spot key tactical decisions, allowing him to create pre and post-match presentations for the players and staff to look at. As well as his analysis work, he would also work with the players on the training ground in a hands-on format, taking care of pre-match preparations and supporting them in-game.
Following his time at Mercyhurst, Sharp joined New York Red Bulls as a Player Development Coach, which is where he first experienced working with Rangnick.
Even though his time with the MLS side only lasted four months, it was a huge learning curve for the Scotsman, with the experience allowing him to learn from the very best and build up a series of contacts.
However, after four years away from New York Red Bulls, he returned as the club's performance analyst. His second spell in the Big Apple saw him work with now-United coach Armas, who was head coach of the MLS outfit between July 2018 and September 2020.
After Armas was sacked just over a year ago, following a run of disappointing results, Sharp stayed at the club, until joining Toronto in February this year, with Armas the man poaching him, following his appointment as head coach at the club. However, their relationship at Toronto was over by July, as Armas was sacked within six months of taking the job.
Rangnick was then alerted to Sharp again, luring him to Lokomotiv Moscow in the summer, with the latter appointed assistant coach/analyst - the same title he has been presented with at Old Trafford.
What will he bring to Old Trafford?
Considering Rangnick demands nothing but the very best, a high standard, first and foremost, is what Sharp will bring to the club. His experience of working in both the USA and Russia will also be hugely beneficial, although United is the biggest club that he has so far worked for.
Rangnick wants to change United's style of play and overall philosophy, meaning the more people he brings in that know how he works, as well as him knowing how they work, the better position the Reds will be in.
What has Sharp said in the past?
Whilst at New York Red Bulls, the Scot spoke admirably and passionately about how important it is to have a clear and recognisable style of play, suggesting that could be why Rangnick has brought him to the club, in his attempts to help shift United's culture.
Sharp said: "Our style is something which is really well communicated throughout the organisation, the characteristics we look for in first-team players. We try to instil that in the academy players, the USL adopts a very similar shape and playing style to the first-team.
"In my role this is hugely beneficial, it helps me in opposition analysis, post-game analysis, the way I go about communicating with players. Without it, it would be very difficult to know what to look for when looking at games.
"For me, the biggest benefit of having this well-defined playing style is the players are clear of their expectations, they know what the coaching staff is looking for and what is expected of them when they go out and perform."
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