Upon his retirement Wood began coaching, beginning with Aston Villa in their academy before moving back to United, where he rose through the ranks to become U23 manager in 2019.
[3] He was a member of the reserve team and scored on his debut, playing as a striker alongside David Healy under the tutelage of Jimmy Ryan.
[4] He eventually received a first-team squad number but never made a senior team appearance, suffering with various injuries including a blood clot in his thigh, a fractured skull, and articular cartilage damage, keeping him out of action for 18 months.
[3][4] The emerging talents of players such as Darren Fletcher and David Jones meant he was overtaken in the youth pecking order in his absence.
[11] In April, he admitted to the Lancashire Telegraph that he had struggled to adapt to the style of football in the lower leagues, but played through a knee injury to try and keep Burnley in the division.
[13] Upon signing, manager Peter Reid told the Coventry Telegraph that Wood reminded him of former Everton teammate Kevin Sheedy, also a left-footed midfielder.
[14] He made his début in a 4–1 League Cup first round win against Torquay United,[15] but appearances at his new club were rare,[16] and he struggled to avoid picking up injuries and maintaining his fitness.
In February 2008, Wood signed with Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina club Željezničar,[28] where he was managed by Simo Krunić, and experienced tactics-based football for the first time since departing United.
Following his release from Željezničar, Wood returned to England and settled down in the Tamworth area, where he began training with Southern Football League Division One Central side Atherstone Town.
[40] At the conclusion of the league season, Wood led Salford to the EFL play-offs for the first time, drawing 2–2 on aggregate with Stockport County before losing 3–1 in the resulting penalty shootout.