Manchester United went with John Murtough as football director ahead of several big name applications, it has been revealed.
The Manchester Evening News says the feeling among the club's hierarchy was the external candidates were synonymous solely with recruitment, whereas Murtough had overseen the overhaul of the United academy and built the women's team from scratch.
United sources concede bigger names were linked with the football director role but were uncomfortable with the prospect of appointing them on the basis of their recruitment record. Some candidates ironically discouraged United from moving for them the more they championed their hit-rate of signings.
Murtough also presided over the recruitment reboot two years ago with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his work on the three fronts has seen Murtough gain a reputation as a 'fixer' at United. Murtough's ability to solve problems made him a leading candidate but United sources maintain they seriously considered options from outside the club.
United are comfortable with not appointing a former footballer, such as Van der Sar, as their football director and believe they have sufficient football expertise with Solskjaer, Michael Carrick and Mike Phelan on the coaching staff to 'communicate the football project'.
