Manchester United need a Football Director, with plenty of actual power, to take over the massive task of the roster reshaping. The fact that this search has carried on so long, with no end it sight, just makes it look like a de facto farce; as if it’s just lip service put forth publicly to placate the fan base.
The real problem at United is the Executive Vice President Ed Woodward, an investment banker who knows nothing about football. The incoming Football Director, in order for the post to work, would need to have autonomy on his decisions, and enough cloud at the club to be able to make Woodward stay in his business ledger sheet lane.
Who could it be? Well, another club legend, Edwin van der Sar, is being linked with the gig. The former United goalkeeper and current Ajax CEO says that of course he’d be very interested in the role.
“Besides my family, the wife, kids and friends, I have two loves in my life — Ajax, who scouted me and gave me the chance to shine in the world of football and Manchester United, who helped me to develop even at the end of my career,” Van der Sar told Sports Illustrated.
“‘Of course I’d be interested in a position, but at first I think I need to learn a little bit more here at Ajax and develop myself even further.
“Let’s see what the future brings, United is a fantastic club, with a great following all over the world.
“I’m the chief executive at Ajax, United are looking for a different position, a director of football, it’s a different role. I know a little bit about football of course.”
The 48-year-old had a phenomenal career at United, where he won four Premier League title, one Champions League and one League Cup in six seasons. So he’s a winner, but United are in really dire straits right now. One wonders if the timing is right for him to take on a job of this magnitude.
Of course, the biggest issue with the club are the Glazers, but we’ve been over how poor the owners are already, and in great detail. That’s really another discussion for another time.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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