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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted a positive response from his side after their crushing loss to Everton. The players gave a positive reply, matching 'Cityzens' for the first half. But eventually, the Red Devils succumbed to the superior standards of Pep Guardiola's XI.
Manchester United are planning a summer spree to revamp their failing squad. Right now, there is a massive gap in the mentality and standard of the players at United and the other top teams like Liverpool or Manchester City.
United's transfer strategy in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era has been a problem. Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman of Man United, has splashed over £600m after Sir Alex left, and none of the players arriving in this timeline can be considered a resounding success.
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The Old Trafford board has lacked the vision and strategy to take the club forward after Fergie's retirement.
Sir Alex almost enjoyed a presidential rule during the fag end of his career, where he presided over the transfer strategy, scouting networks and various other facets of the organization. Ferguson oversaw the proceedings with the help of David Gill, former Chief Executive of Man United.
But Gill departed the club alongside Sir Alex, and their successors have found it challenging to fill the void left by them.
Gill and Ferguson devised an intricate and extensive scouting network. Gill assisted the club in signing players who provided a core for years. Michael Carrick, Nemanja Matic, David de Gea are some of the prodigious players signed in his tenure.
Woodward, the former head of commercial and media operations, replaced the departing Gill as the club's CEO. The American's monetary work is immaculate, as he has elevated Manchester United's status as an elite sports brand. But his lack of football knowledge has restricted a similar growth in United's squad.
Reshaping the United Board
Manchester United have struggled to integrate a squad capable of representing them. Woodward embraced the 'Galactico' policy, signing players who provided a commercial appeal to the club, but the approach backfired. The majority of big signings - Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao, Bastian Schweinsteiger among others - failed miserably at Old Trafford.
Woodward is a fantastic businessman, but his limited sports awareness has cost United and prevented them from getting the required support.
Recently there has been a lot of speculation of a technical director being appointed to work as a channel between the manager and Woodward. Here are a few tweets talking about that:
The Technical Director (TD) performs a similar role to the Director of Football (DoF), but the latter has more authority in specific aspects.
The technical director controls the scouting department and highlights the needs of the squad with the help of the Head Coach. He works with the youth development head too, analysing the players ready for first-team action or departing on loan.
The Technical Director maintains the club's identity and assigns an overall philosophy to all the proceedings.
Hiring a technical director means that contract negotiations with the players and identifying the members to sell or recruit are his responsibility. The DoF undertakes the financial obligations too.
A TD can help Woodward in targeting the right players and will mediate the communication between him and the manager.
Modern football comprises of several features in addition to the basic sport, and top teams around the world have modified their structure to fit the game. A Director of Football / Technical Director who understands the needs of the club, financially and sporting-wise, is imperative for a club of United's stature.
Directors like Monchi and Paul Mitchell have produced a successful model for their clubs, working with tight pockets and finding optimum players at affordable prices. Sevilla, AS Roma, RB Leipzig and others have enjoyed the astute execution of DoF.
Appointing a TD will provide a clear plan to Woodward and Solskjaer, and will help Manchester United in the long run.
