Matt Judge chose to tender his resignation after he felt isolated at Manchester United following former vice-chairman Ed Woodward's departure, it has been revealed.
Judge, United's director of football negotiations, is currently working his notice period and will leave Old Trafford later this year. As a result, he is not expected to be involved in any of the their moves in the next window, says the Athletic.
Those close to the club believe Judge's position became 'uncertain' after Woodward left. The pair, whose working relationship dated back to their days at JP Morgan, were closely aligned over thrashing out transfers.
Indeed, Woodward is said to have given his colleague instructions over deals and also set out parameters for the talks. But once the former CEO left in late January, the guidance lessened, leading to frustrations arising on Judge's part.
It is also said that football director John Murtough's move up the ladder was 'tough' for Judge to deal with.
The arrival of Richard Arnold, Woodward's successor, saw Judge's dynamics at United change - with the finance supremo not having a direct line to his new boss.
He then chose to resign, a bombshell decision taken while he successfully wrapped up discussions for Erik ten Hag to become the club's next manager.
With Judge to take a step back from speaking to players and their representatives, agents will be forced to change how they speak with United ahead of the summer. For many of them, he was their first contact - albeit one heavily criticised.
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