BERNIE Vince has returned to Melbourne in a working capacity, beginning a new leadership role with the club for the 2019 season.

The 33-year-old made an appearance at Gosch’s Paddock for the first main training session of the pre-season on Monday, as he assists in mentoring the younger players on the list.

General Manager of Football Operations, Josh Mahoney, said Vince will be a tremendous asset for the red and blue.

“We’re delighted that Bernie’s agreed to continue his relationship with the Melbourne Football Club in a part-time coaching capacity,” Mahoney told Melbourne Media.

“He’ll work with our first-year players and be an ambassador for our Next Generation Academy.

“We are really excited by what he can pass onto our first-year players and the transition they can make into AFL footballers.”

After playing with Melbourne for the past five years, Vince announced his retirement at the end of the 2018 season.

But the Demons wasted no time in offering him a new role for 2019, with his 229-game career set to bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the football department.

“It’s something we put to Bernie as soon as the season finished – we always wanted him to stay involved,” Mahoney said.

“He’s gone away and spent some quality time with his wife Abbie, and he came back last week and has made the decision to accept our offer, which we are delighted about.”

Vince will be working at Melbourne one or two days each week and will assist the club in a variety of ways.

“He’ll be involved with our playing group, particularly with our first-year guys and then some involvement probably once a month with our Next Generation Academy players as well,” Mahoney said.

“Bernie’s also going to assist the club off-field, working with our media team and events at different stages throughout the year, which again is really good for his development and his interests outside of football.”