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Union recruit former Manchester United assistant coach

(Reuters) - The Philadelphia Union made another off-season move on Friday by appointing former Manchester United assistant coach Rene Meulensteen as a consultant, the Major League Soccer (MLS) team announced.

A week after installing Jim Curtin as their head coach, the Union recruited Dutchman Meulensteen, former manager of English side Fulham when they were in the Premier League, who has spent a total of 12 seasons as an assistant with Manchester United.

"There's no doubt in our mind ... with the talent we can bring aboard like a Rene, that we can turn our academy into a pipeline of great talent for the Union," Philadelphia chairman Jay Sugarman told a news conference.

Meulensteen said. "I have been in the United States for many, many years before. I've kept a close eye on the development of soccer, including the MLS.

"It grows from strength to strength, year in and year out, and to be given the opportunity to join a franchise like the Union on a consultant basis is a very exciting one."

The Union, who became the 16th team in the MLS in 2010, ended the 2014 season placed sixth in the Eastern Conference, one spot shy of making the playoffs.

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Gene Cherry)