The staff behind Man United's title bid

Sir Alex Ferguson has surrounded himself with an expert coaching and scouting team whose fingerprints are all over the club's all-but-confirmed Premier League triumph.Manchester United head into Wednesday’s match-up with Wigan Athletic nearly ready to take a Premier League victory lap.Whilst Manchester City have crumbled, slipped and tumbled away from their commanding position, all but blowing their hopes of a first league title in decades, the Red Devils have reasserted their status as England’s purest outright winners, marrying vital mental fortitude to their obvious technical gifts.With City proof that a culture of victory cannot be instantly summoned, it is worth highlighting the experienced and knowledgeable figures behind the scenes who have played key roles in building and readying Sir Alex Ferguson’s latest batch of champions-elect.Chief among the Scot’s lieutenants – and the man who has to be the face of the club when the boss is less keen to speak to the press – is assistant manager Mike Phelan.The 49-year-old is well-suited to the ‘good cop’ role at Old Trafford, having made over 100 appearances for United as a player and being part of the squad that lifted the first of the club’s many Premier League trophies in 1993.Phelan also took home FA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup medals during his time as a Red Devil and so offers a triumphant continuity in working with such a decorated current group of players. He has been on the staff in some capacity for over 11 years, having directly influenced all the success that has come in that time.A more recent arrival is goalkeeping coach Eric Steele. Involved as a coach with the Leeds side that pipped United to the league title in 1991-92, the Geordie spent time working with Old Trafford icon Peter Schmeichel at Aston Villa and aiding in the development of a younger Joe Hart at City before being headhunted by Sir Alex in August 2008.Steele was a key figure in the recruitment of David de Gea, who has begun to excel in a red shirt following some early teething problems in the wake of his summer move from Atletico Madrid. He scouted the young goalkeeper several times and went to the trouble of learning some Spanish before his arrival so as to more quickly and effectively integrate De Gea into the team.Rene Meulensteen is another important figure on the coaching payroll. Now the Red Devils’ first-team coach, the Dutchman has spent 11 years – minus a brief stint in 2006-07 as Brondby boss – working tirelessly to improve the United squad’s technical skills. A huge success when working with players of all ages at the club, Meulensteen had previously won trophies as a manger in the Middle-East with Al-Ittihad and Al-Sadd before then leading United’s reserves to multiple victories as well.Winners, it is clear, are prevalent throughout the United set-up, but there is also important experience evident in the player recruitment process that has set the club aside from its rivals.In recent seasons, the likes of City, Chelsea and Arsenal have all mounted concerted title bids at various stages but the Red Devils have been the most consistently competitive outfit, thanks in no small part to their success rate in the transfer market.Much of the club’s brilliant hits-to-misses ratio in purchasing can be attributed to the keen eye of Sir Alex’s most trusted scout – his brother, Martin Ferguson.The boss’ junior by a year and 10 days, the 69-year-old remains as active as ever in travelling the world in search of talent. His packed schedule of following players around the globe and his excellent judgement of ability has seen him identify - among many others - Jaap Stam, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Chicharito as important signings over the years.The former two secured their places as Old Trafford heroes while the Mexican, unearthed from obscurity by Ferguson the younger and snapped up before he announced himself to the planet at World Cup 2010, is well on his way to doing the same, with 32 goals in 78 games so far.