Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have a role in choosing a technical director to work with him at Old Trafford.
After Manchester United confirmed the permanent appointment of Solskjaer on a three-year contract last week, the Premier League giants are hopeful of installing someone to work on long-term transfer strategy in time for the 2019/20 campaign.
The lack of such a position at United has been a longstanding criticism from the outside, with executive vice chairman Ed Woodward’s background in business rather than football.
But that now appears to be changing, as welcomed by Solskjaer on Monday who told media: “I'm happy talking and discussing football with knowledgeable people in the right positions.
“The demands of football nowadays mean you definitely have to split responsibilities. More than 100 years ago, managers used to be the club secretaries as well.
“But things change. I have an input in most of the things now and will give my advice of course, but I’m not the one who decides.
“A manager can't do as much as he used to do when my gaffer [Alex Ferguson] started, for example.
“Me and Ed [Woodward] and Joel [Glazer], we’re looking at how can this club be run as smoothly and as well as possible.”
John Murtough is the current head of football development at Old Trafford, but other candidates including Atletico Madrid’s Andrea Berta and Juventus man Fabio Paratici have also been mooted.
An Evening Standard report suggests that the suitable candidate will be “expected to take a holistic view of first-team planning, taking into account what is being produced at academy level, rather than simply buying ready-made solutions” – and therefore, academy director Nicky Butt could fit the bill.
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