Ole defends current structure at United

OLE Gunnar Solskjaer has suggested United do not need a director of football by backing the club’s current structure.

United outlined their intention to appoint a ‘head of football’ following the sacking of Jose Mourinho in December and suggested they were close to appointing a ‘technical director’ in late March.

The aim was for the technical director to be in post before the start of the season but the role has still not been occupied and executive vicechairman Ed Woodward referred to it as the ‘head of football’ in the investors’ call last month.

Woodward claimed United are ‘continually reviewing and looking at the potential to evolve our structure on the football side’, but Solskjaer has defended the recruitment revamp he presided over with assistant Mike Phelan.

“Of course, all the talks I’ve had with the owners, with Ed Woodward and the club have been about me having a three-year contract,” Solskjaer told Sky Sports. “We’re planning longterm. I’ve been given the job and if you lose a game or two, you don’t wait for a call to be given assurances.

“But we started out with a plan and a recruitment plan is in place. I am 100 per cent sure from my time here that the structure is right because it is always the manager who has the final say. Myself and Mick are the ones who make the decisions on the players that we want to have. It’s then up to the scouts and whether the players are available before the negotiations.”