Manchester United reserves manager quits Old Trafford for vacant job in the Championship

Manchester United reserves coach Warren Joyce has left his post with the club and joined Wigan Athletic as their new manager. The Lactics were looking for a replacement after Gary Caldwell was sacked following his 18-month tenure at the club.

Wigan confirmed the appointment of the former Hull City player on Wednesday and is expected to meet his new squad on Thursday (3 November). Joyce's first game in charge will be against fifth- placed Reading at the DW Stadium and his immediate task will be to get the club out of the relegation zone.

"Warren joins us after managing the Manchester United Under-21 and Under-23 squads for the past eight years. He has signed a three and a half year contract and will be in the DW Stadium dugout for the first time when Latics face Reading this Saturday, November 5," a statement read on the Lactics' official site.

Joyce joined United in 2008 from Royal Antwerp in Belgium and was initially the joint coach of the reserve team alongside Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer before taking sole charge in 2010. The 51-year-old has an enviable record when it comes to coaching and bringing through academy players into the first-team, and has coached the likes of Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard among others during his time with the U21 side.

The newly appointed Wigan manager also guided the United reserve side to four U21 Premier League finals of which they won three before it was changed to an U23 format this season. Lactics chairman David Sharpe is confident Joyce is the right person to lead the club forward and heaped praise on the Oldham-born coach.

"Warren has everything we are looking for. He is an exceptional coach who has a reputation within the game for being among the very best at bringing through young players, as his record at Manchester United shows. But more than that, he has a winning mentality which transmits to his players and he has achieved great success in his time at United. It's the perfect combination," Sharpe told Wigan's official site.

"From the moment we met, it was clear that there was a connection. He is a highly professional, focused and ambitious person and we share the same views regarding the long-term vision for the club. He comes highly recommended and I am confident that we are appointing an excellent manager."