Football News: Expect massive changes at Manchester United

I expect to see massive changes at Manchester United over the next couple of years. A shift in direction, structure and culture around the club.

Things like a more modern structure with a DoF / Technical director coming in and overseeing the football side of the club. Putting longer-term plans in place, as well as maybe significant changes to the academy to make it more productive. Both in terms of producing players for the first team, but also producing players who just fall short of the level we need but who can be sold to recoup funds to be redirected elsewhere.

We will likely see a shift in recruitment of players, less big money "Galactico" style signings and more younger, hungry players looking for the next step in their careers. Players with a high ceiling who can become top class players with us. We should also see a clearer profile of player we look to sign. Players signed to play a specific over-arching style of play, rather than players to fill manager specific criteria.

While managers will likely be hired to fit a club profile rather than hired based on reputation or media profile. Looking to hire managers whose football ideas and principles align with the clubs and the squad that the club have assembled. This is more of a role of first team coach rather than first team manager. With many of the areas previously dealt with by the manager being moved to the DoF role. Reducing the workload on the manager and allowing them to focus more on developing the players and performances on the pitch.

Maybe someone like McKenna might fit that role once the new structure is in place. McKenna is one young manager to keep an eye on. Whether he'll get to the level where he gets a chance at a top club remains to be seen. Or maybe it'll be Potter or even EtH. After all, the Dutchman did thrive under a similar type structure at Ajax, with EvdS as CEO and Overmars as DoF. Whether the new people will want to work with him or indeed, he will want to work with the new people under the new structure remains to be seen.

Either way big changes seem to be on the way, and given with where we are and how things have been run previously, then that can only be a good thing.

Written by Shappy January 02 2024 15:05:54