4 notable names who could become director of football at Manchester United

Manchester United has had some much-publicised issues lately, a strange thing to witness as a neutral fan I must confess.But despite their win vs. Newcastle on Saturday, they still need change. It cannot paper over cracks since evident deficiencies still remain. The issue isn’t really Mourinho or his supposed fights with players.There is a reason why Apple does well with its iPhones. The late Jobs, and now Cook, both provided the vision for this, and what the iPhone should be and how it should better people’s lives.It stems ultimately from the top, as it does in any club or organisation.Should Ed Woodward go? Who knows? But there is an apparent lack of footballing knowledge in the higher end/upper management level at Manchester United.Yes, Sir Bobby and Sir Alex are board members. But Sir Bobby and Sir Alex are both elderly, and Sir Alex recently had serious health issues, of which he is now thankfully recovering from. Neither is the long-term, or possibly immediate option for this.So who can come in? And how do other clubs do it, is there a template here United could emulate? The other top six have, or have had in recent times, senior execs who are skilled in football operations:- Arsenal – Raul Sanllehi- Liverpool – Peter Moore- Tottenham – Daniel Levy- Chelsea – Michael Emanalo (until 2016), Marina Granovskaia- Man City – Brian MarwoodReal Madrid, looking further afield, have a dedicated President in Florentino Perez, elected by the club’s members. Karl Heinz Rummenige is a Bayern Munich legend, who has senior executive status at the club. Moreover, AC Milan legends Leonardo and Paolo Maldini have senior posts at their club.So could United do something similar? Why not? It’s clear that a change is required, and new blood and experience is needed at the highest level. Any successful club needs a strategy and a focus, and for results on the pitch to improve, the club requires significant modification. These are some of the notable names who could figure as directors of football, or people who could provide defined footballing knowledge to the United board and manager:

4 notable names who could become director of football at Manchester United

MARK HUGHES