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It seems that it’s going to be a mere few days before it’s confirmed that Sir Jim Ratcliffe will become a minority shareholder with Manchester United Football Club.
If news is to be believed, Sir Jim and his team will take over the sporting operations at the club – something that United fans, desperate for some competency in that department, will be delighted to hear.
There have been rumours online that one of the key changes at the club will be the recruitment of a new sporting director.
Many names have been reported online with Paul Mitchell being the early favourite for the role.
However, a new name has emerged today and it’s one of a man who is in the role currently at another English Premier League side.
According to The Daily Star, Manchester United are looking at Crystal Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman to take on a similar role at Old Trafford.
For those unfamiliar with the name, Freedman was a striker at Palace and was also the manager at the club for a period, before transitioning into the role of sporting director in 2017.
The paper states that Sir David Brailsford, who is believed to be joining the club to help oversee the sporting operations with Sir Jim, is a huge fan of the work that Freedman has done at Selhurst Park and is pushing for his appointment.
Sir David has been paying attention to the incomings and outgoings at Palace and believes that Freedman has shown great aptitude by signing the likes of Marc Guehi, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze at great prices for the club and has since seen their values rocket.
Whether Freedman will have enough elite club experience could be something to be taken into consider – with Mitchell and former Liverpool men Michael Edwards and Julian Ward also believed to be in the frame.
Whatever route Sir Jim and his team take, United fans will be pleased that there seems to be an effort to bring the club into a more modern football structure and that should mean a better strategic approach at Old Trafford moving forward.
