34
Julian Ward is the latest name to be linked to the role of sporting director at Manchester United.
It was announced on Christmas Eve that Sir Jim Ratcliffe would officially gain full sporting control of the club with his 25% takeover.
It has been relayed today by The Peoples Person that John Murtough is set to be relieved of his duties as director of football and the INEOS group will be looking to bring in their own candidate.
Various names have been linked such as Paul Mitchell, Dougie Freedman and Dan Ashworth.
However, a new surprise name has now emerged.
The Telegraph is reporting that the club is now looking at former Liverpool sporting director, Julian Ward.
“Ward spent 11 years at Liverpool, latterly as the club’s sporting director but decided to step down only months after succeeding Michael Edwards”.
United have also considered Edwards but “it is believed he is not looking for a director of football or sporting director’s role at a club at present”.
Liverpool were shocked by Ward’s decision and he is highly rated for his work at the Merseyside team.
The Anfield side had seen the Liverpool native as the long-term replacement for Edwards and he had been heavily involved in the arrivals of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez to the club.
The former technical director has apparently turned down jobs offers at clubs such as Ajax, while he mulls over his next career change.
It is unclear however, if he would see himself at Old Trafford.
The Telegraph states that, “it is thought that the 42 year old is in no rush to return to football and it remains to be seen, having worked so long at Liverpool, whether he would even be interested in a role at United if they decide to make a move”.
Nonetheless, “sources suggest that Ashworth would be Ratcliffe’s ideal appointment but it is understood it will be extremely difficult to extricate him from his contract even if he is interested”.
The Peoples Person relayed that the Newcastle employee has been on United’s radar for quite some time and they still remain impressed by his body of work at both Brighton and Newcastle.
Interestingly The Telegraph also lists some less-discussed names for the role such as “Atalanta’s Lee Congerton, the former AC Milan duo Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara and Andrea Berti of Atletico Madrid”.
It will certainly be an interesting Christmas period and New Year for Red Devils fans as they await the decisions the new part-owners will implement over the coming weeks and months. A new sporting director will certainly be a popular choice.
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.
