Michael Vaughan has revealed that he could not turn down the opportunity to return to Yorkshire in a consultant’s capacity.

The former Ashes winning captain will help director of professional cricket Martyn Moxon in the recruitment of overseas players – and will also mentor new Headingley skipper Andrew Gale.

He explained: “Six months ago Colin Graves came to me and asked me would I stay involved with the club. I said that it would be Martyn Moxon’s decision as to what he wanted to do.

“Then Martyn came to me about three months ago and said that he would love my input as a consultant, whether that be with the juniors through to the first team or whether it be with signing overseas players.

“He also had Andrew Gale as a new captain and wondered whether I could pass on some of my experience.

“They’ve asked me to get involved in a small capacity, and I’m delighted to help. I love Yorkshire cricket. As much as people reported that I left on a bitter note I never left like that at all.

“I’m not going to be there that often but I’ll try to keep an eye on what’s going on.”

Vaughan’s experience as one of England’s most respected leaders will prove to be vital for 26 year-old Gale, Yorkshire’s youngest ever professional captain.

He continued: “Captaincy’s hard. If there’s any way that we can make it easier for Galey, then we’ll try and do that.

“With him being such a young captain I don’t think he needs to be drawn into all the politics. If he’s got a soundboard like me, somebody he can ring, or if there are some meetings that I could do for him, then it’s a way of making his transition easier.

“But he’ll be very hands on. He wants to be involved in a lot of the decision-making, as he should be.”

Gale has recently returned from England Lions duty in Dubai, where he captained an experienced squad to five wins out of eight Twenty20 and one-day matches, including an impressive 20-over win against the senior England side.

Vaughan said: “Doing it for the Lions was perfect for him because it gave him a feel of captaincy ahead of a full season with Yorkshire.

“He was given a lot of confidence from being given the captaincy for that trip because there were some big names in the team. England have obviously got a little vision to use him in that capacity at some point in the future.”

Gale will take charge of Yorkshire for the first time next Wednesday when they play the first match of their pre-season tour of Barbados against Derbyshire in a two-day match at the 3 Ws Oval.

Vaughan added: “Galey’s very well respected in that dressing room, and that’s a good starting point. They all respect his methods, and he’s popular within the team.

“He’ll make mistakes but he’ll learn from them.”

The general consensus seems to be that 2010 will be a summer of building blocks for Yorkshire, and that they will struggle to challenge for honours with such an inexperienced squad.

Vaughan agrees to a certain extent but refused to completely rule them out of the trophy trail.

He added: “Generally the best team wins the Championship because it’s the hardest one to win, and I’d be amazed if we’re pushing for honours there. But we’re a young side who could frighten a few.

“Hopefully Rashid will find form along with Shahzad. I don’t know how much they’ll play for England, but they’re exciting prospects.

“Our batting is deep, with Wainwright possibly coming in at No 10, but it’s just the wickets. Most people in county cricket will look where the 20 wickets will come from.

“But I think that anyone can win Twenty20. It’s just one of those competitions that if you get it right and get on a roll, you could go all the way.”