Manchester United director of football John Murtough has resigned from his post and will leave the club this week after more than 10 years’ service, as the restructuring of Old Trafford’s sporting operations led by INEOS continues.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment in United and the appointments he is making to key positions have led to expectations that Murtough would leave or be offered a different role.
But in a decision that is now expected to be officially confirmed, Murtough has decided to step aside completely and let the new organization take shape.
Murtough will effectively be replaced by Dan Ashworth, once the Newcastle United sporting director’s gardening leave ends, while Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox is in line to be appointed technical director.
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United hope Wilcox will start in the coming weeks, provided an agreement can be reached on compensation, while Ashworth may need more time to take charge.
It ends Murtough’s decade at United, who he joined in 2013 after stints for Premier League side Everton and Fulham.
After initially focusing on the academy and recruitment, Murtough was promoted to head of football development in 2016 and became United’s first director of football five years later.
This essentially placed him in overall charge of men’s, women’s and academic operations.
He played a central role in Erik ten Hag’s arrival as manager in 2022, is heavily involved in the team’s build-up and has built a team around him that includes assistant director of football Andy O ‘Boyle, director of football operations David Harrison and director of football negotiations Matt Hargreaves.
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They are among those tasked with running United on a day-to-day basis between Murtough’s departure and the start of his successors. INEOS Director of Sport, Sir Dave Brailsford, will be on hand to provide executive oversight.
Murtough is often criticized for United’s activity in the transfer market, but working with colleagues such as academy director Nick Cox to bring homegrown talent to senior level has earned the Englishman credit.
The transformation of this field and the situation of women are considered positive developments.
Many of Murtough’s responsibilities will eventually be taken over by Ashworth and Wilcox, while Omar Berrada is expected to arrive from Manchester City as chief executive this summer.
Darren Fletcher currently remains technical director and United want him to remain under an alternative title, which is not yet finalized.
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And now ?
Analysis by Mark Critchley
Despite United’s £518 million transfer spend since Murtough was appointed director of football in March 2021, he will leave the United squad largely as he found it – a hodgepodge. uneven, unbalanced and slightly bloated mash-up of players that somehow still has many holes to fill.
Despite Rasmus Hojlund’s positive start at Old Trafford, another centre-forward remains a priority and will need to provide more reliable cover than Anthony Martial, who is expected to leave for free.
At the back, uncertainty over Raphael Varane’s future and injuries to Lisandro Martinez require additional investment in central defense.
Left-back is another priority given the lack of availability of Luke Shaw and the absence of Tyrell Malacia throughout the season, while central midfield also requires attention less than two years after an overhaul with the arrivals of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.
Yet the most important and consequential decision of all could concern the manager. Ten Hag is currently working with INEOS on plans for next season and is keen to stay at United and work under the new set-up, but his position remains under scrutiny amid wildly inconsistent results.
Ten Hag was the overwhelming choice to become United manager following a process led and executed by Murtough. Another manager search could end up at the top of the to-do list for Murtough’s successor.
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(Kevork Djansezian/Manchester United via Getty Images)