Manchester United will step up their pursuit of a director of football after sacking Jose Mourinho.
As part of a dramatic restructuring of the club, executive vice chairman Ed Woodward wants to make two key appointments by the start of next season to transform Man Utd’s fortunes.
As well as finding a permanent successor to Mourinho, Woodward wants a more focused approach to transfers and contract renewals after seeing the club descend into crisis over the last six months.
He believes the football side of the operation is in need of modernisation and wants an appointment to work directly under him and act as a buffer between the manager and the board.
Mourinho was increasingly seen as an obstacle to bringing in a director of football, with Woodward reluctant to force his manager to work with an appointment he was uncomfortable with.
As revealed by Standard Sport, Atletico Madrid’s Andrea Berta was a leading candidate, with the Italian having a good relationship with Mourinho. But United’s reticence to make an appointment is said to have left a number of candidates confused.
Now any prospective manager will be informed during the interview process that they will be expected to work with a technical director or director of football before being offered the job.
Mauricio Pochettino has long-been seen as the No1 candidate to succeed Mourinho, while Juventus’ Max Allegri is another name who will come into consideration.
His frequent complaints regarding the level of backing received in the transfer market also appear to have tested United’s patience to the limit, with insiders saying: “No one is bigger than the club.”
A more holistic approach with a manager working in conjunction with a director of football is considered the way to avoid similar tensions in the future.
Woodward will also hope a new appointment will be able to take a more pro-active approach to player contracts as the club desperately try to secure the futures of David de Gea and Anthony Martial.
They already had to make Luke Shaw one of the highest paid defenders in the world after letting his deal enter its final 12 months.
One-year options have since had to be triggered on De Gea and Martial’s contracts as negotiations over extensions continue to drag on.
