Exclusive: Mark Dempsey closing in on Manchester United coaching return following sick leave

Mark Dempsey, one of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first team coaches, is expected to return to work with Manchester United next month after a period of sick leave.

The popular 55-year-old was taken to hospital in Perth in July a few days into the club’s pre-season tour of Australia.

Dempsey was treated at the Royal Perth Hospital after falling ill. He was later discharged and the decision taken for him to skip the Singapore and Shanghai legs of the tour in order to return home to England.

The former United midfielder, who was Solskjaer’s assistant at Cardiff City and Molde before joining the Norwegian’s coaching staff at Old Trafford last December, has been spotted at the club’s Carrington training base in recent days.

Dempsey observed first team training on Friday and it is understood he will be attending some games off his own back in the coming weeks and possibly doing some opposition scouting before a more formal process of reintegration begins next month.

Solskjaer values Dempsey highly and the Crumpsall-born coach has formed part of a close-knit backroom staff with assistant manager Mike Phelan plus fellow first team coaches Kieran McKenna and Michael Carrick.

Dempsey - who made two first team appearances for United after coming through the club’s youth ranks - is one of multiple figures at Old Trafford who have a long-term connection with the club.

Solskjaer, Phelan and Carrick all played for the club, as did Nicky Butt, who vacated his role as head of the academy this summer in order to take up a new position as head of first team development. Two other former players, Neil Wood and Quinton Fortune, run United’s Under-23 side.

After leaving United in 1986, Dempsey joined Sheffield United and spent two years at Bramall Lane before a move to Rotherham United. His career culminated with a spell at Macclesfield Town.

Cardiff aside, the majority of his coaching career has been spent in Scandinavia with Molde, Haugesund, Start and Kongsvinger in Norway and Djurgardens in Sweden before the return to United under Solskjaer.