Manchester United legend and A-League mentor Dwight Yorke slams lack of black coaches in football

Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke is convinced the colour of his skin has stalled his progression as a football manager.

Now overseeing an attacking galaxy of stars in the A-League with Macarthur FC, the 50-year-old pointed to initially being overlooked for coaching roles in England not long after hanging up his playing boots.

Yorke was shunned at Aston Villa - where he played in the Premier League for almost a decade - as well as at Sunderland, where he was on the team sheet from 2006 to 2009.

'It's not rocket science,' he said. 'Let's just call it for what it is.'

As a result, Yorke has set out to buck the trend when it comes to his senior managerial staff at the Bulls.

His senior assistants are Russell Latapy - his old Trinidad and Tobago teammate - and James Meredith, the former Socceroo of Jamaican heritage.

Yorke also pointed to leagues in Spain, Italy and Germany, where black managers are virtually non-existent.

Former champion Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira is in charge of Crystal Palace in the EPL, but Yorke wants to see far more black managers given opportunities from the dug out.

'You can't tell me there is not a reason behind it when everybody else has been given a chance, guys of very little experience. I've got my qualifications,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'We've done everything that everyone else has done. And (white) people (often) get three, four jobs before we even get one. So where is the fairness in that?

'I do believe that if I was maybe a different colour, then the transition into management would have been much easier. I've been fortunate to get in, but there's so many other people that haven't even come close.'

Yorke, who won the UEFA Champions League with the Red Devils in 1999, also rolls his eyes that his supposed party lifestyle hasn't helped his cause.

He points out he doesn't take drugs, has never been in prison or missed training sessions in his playing days.

'I had a good time when I go out, that's for sure. But it's all within reason,' he said.

'The 'Dwight All Night' perception...it is just an awful stigma and hasn't helped with prejudices.'

Yorke wasn't finished yet, pointing to the off-field conduct of Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney.

The retired striker recently released a documentary on his life to date, where he detailed his alcohol demons and penchant for prostitutes.

Yet the phone doesn't stop ringing, with Rooney the current head coach of D.C United in the US.

Yorke is humbled Macarthur gave him an opportunity, and doesn't hide his ambition.

Having already collected silverware after winning the Australia Cup, he knows more trophies in the A-League will act as a springboard for Europe.

He wants to be exceptional and defy the odds -  and if Yorke's desire to be elite rubs off on his squad, the sky is the limit.