Manchester United are reportedly focusing on Liverpool’s former sporting director.
The Red Devils are planning to overtake their footballing operation after full management was handed to Sir Jim Ratcliffe following his buy of a 25% stake within the membership. There are a number of skilled names being thought of for the position of United’s sporting director, together with Newcastle’s Dan Ashworth.
But Julian Ward has now emerged as a shock candidate to supervise the footballing aspect of the membership. According to The Telegraph, Ward’s appointment “has been discussed” following his spectacular stint with United’s Premier League rivals.
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Ward spent 11 years at Liverpool the place he was very extremely regarded. He acted as sporting director on the latter finish, overseeing the recruitment of key Liverpool gamers similar to Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez.
But he surprised the Reds in November 2022 by revealing he can be stepping down from his position, simply months after succeeding Michael Edwards. And the choice is known to have been a blow to the Anfield membership, who have been left “shocked” as he formally left in May.
Since then, Ward has had a proposal to turn out to be Ajax’s director of soccer, which he turned down. The 42-year-old could not rush to return to soccer – and it stays to be seen whether or not he’s in any respect within the position at United in the event that they determine to maneuver for him.
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(Image: PA Wire)
Ward’s key accountability can be recruitment, the place the Old Trafford aspect have failed miserably over the previous decade. They have splashed a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands on transfers, with a lot of their signings failing to ship on the pitch and dropping worth consequently.
A sporting director is predicted to be one of many main adjustments to the infrastructure as soon as Ratcliffe’s deal is accomplished. Ratcliffe may even transfer to nominate a head of recruitment to work alongside the sporting director, whereas supervisor Erik ten Hag’s future stays unclear.
United have additionally reportedly been contemplating Crystal Palace’s Dougie Freedman, former Tottenham Hotspur recruitment chief Paul Mitchell, Atalanta’s Lee Congerton, former AC Milan duo Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara and Andrea Berti of Atletico Madrid for the position.