SIR JIM RATCLIFFE and his Ineos team are set to “purge” Manchester United’s current recruitment operation and appoint a new director of football.
Former Manchester City chief operating officer Omar Berrada was announced as the Red Devils’ new chief executive ten days ago as they get to work on the restructure.
Now The Telegraph claims that “Ineos have whittled down the search for a new director of football to a couple of names”.
Newcastle’s director of football Dan Ashworth, ex-Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward and Paul Mitchell, who performed head of recruitment roles at Tottenham and Monaco, have all been mooted.
And Crystal Palace’s Dougie Freedman is another that is “thought to be among those whose credentials have been discussed”.
However, the search has not only been restricted to these shores as Ratcliffe casts his net across the globe to try and find the right appointment.
This fresh report also claims that Atletico Madrid’s Andrea Berta, Juventus’ Cristiano Giuntoli and Atalanta’s Lee Congerton are also being considered.
And ex-AC Milan execs Ricky Massara and Paolo Maldini, who both left the San Siro last year, have also been linked.
Ineos waited until Berrada was in place before making the next step in their search for a director of football.
They wanted his “valuable input” as they believe that both people in the two new roles as well as the manager must “share a vision” and work as a “coherent whole”.
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It is John Murtough who oversees the transfer policy at Old Trafford.
However, the current football director’s “roles and responsibilities will be downgraded in the shake-up unless he was to leave the club altogether”, says this update.
Fans and pundits have slammed United’s recruitment over the past few years.
This fresh report says that “insiders have not ruled out those departments being gutted and redrawn as part of an overhaul”.
And they even claim that one source informed them: “I don’t think there are any sacred cows in this.”
United know that this summer’s transfer window will be critical for their hopes and plans for next season.
And the appointment of a director of football is allegedly “paramount”.
This report finished with the source declaring: “It needs to happen quickly.
“It’s so important for the project that we can’t hang about.”
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