Reds ‘don’t have magic wand’ like they did in Fergie era
AS they fine-tuned their recruitment reboot, United staff agreed the perfect age to sign a player is 23. It just so happens long-term targets James Maddison and Ben Chilwell turn 23 this season.
High-level sources at United concede recruitment has been ‘the biggest problem’ at the club in the wake of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
“If you don’t get the recruitment right you’re f **** d,” a source said.
United are self-critical in their analysis and view their rating in the transfer market to be ‘under 5/10.’ The intention is to rise to 7/10, whereby seven out of 10 players are a success.
Head of corporate development Matt Judge is tasked with sounding out agents and gauging whether players want to join United.
Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is no longer involved in recruitment, other than signing off transfers.
Those involved with the recruitment are adamant United’s ability to target players is better, encouraged by the respectable starts by summer additions Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire. United maintain the difficulty is executing the deals. “You get screwed in the market,” a United insider said, referring to the premium they are often levied with. “We don’t have a magic wand like 10 years ago.”
United’s preference was to sign six players in the summer.
United have invested in a bespoke database that has been enhanced since the Ferguson era to allow external data to flow into it. Lots of resources go into it and United now have around 60 scouts.
United are still on the lookout for a director of football but are conscious they would be ‘annihilated’ if installed amid the current climate since supporters would view them as the saviour. Three figures from the football department currently report to Woodward.
Club sources admit the structure David Moyes inherited was unsuitable in that most of the staff were in thrall to Ferguson and ‘followed him like the Pied Piper.’
United belatedly realised they could not survive on Ferguson’s ‘phenomenal network’ and close confidants, such as his brother Martin, and Moyes vented his fury at the dormant scouts.
When the Spanish scout was singled out by Moyes, he voiced his appreciation for Saul Niguez, so United first-team coach Phil Neville flew to Spain to watch a 19-yearold Niguez during his season on loan at Rayo Vallecano. Errors continued on Louis van Gaal’s watch as he was allowed to sign 13 players across three windows that club scouts at the time felt were not United players. Daley Blind and Morgan Schneiderlin were viewed as ‘un-United players.’
United were so burnt by Van Gaal’s poor hit-rate they decided not to back him if the recruitment department advised them against signing the manager’s target. United vetoed Jose Mourinho’s targets last summer and that was the death knell for his reign.
Samuel Luckhurst