Manchester United are set to continue their major club restructure with the appointment of a second football director.
The Red Devils have endured an embarrassing campaign which was compounded by a 4-0 battering to Brighton on Saturday. On-pitch struggles have seen United fail to qualify for next season's Champions League, with Europa League football next term far from guaranteed either.
The club have confirmed Erik ten Hag will arrive as manager come the end of the season as almighty efforts are made to instil some stability at Old Trafford. And the arrival of the Ajax coach is just one of a number of shake-ups ahead of a seismic summer of change at the club.
Richard Arnold has already succeeded Ed Woodward as United's club chief executive, while chief scout Jim Lawlor and head of global scouting Marcel Bout have followed the latter out of the door. On top of that, transfer chief Matt Judge appears set to resign from his post as the Red Devils continue to address the crisis currently crippling the club.
But the major restructure isn't set to end there. According to Manchester Evening News, United are planning further significant changes in response to what has been a truly disastrous season.
One such change is said to see United appoint a second football director to work alongside existing chief John Murtough, who was promoted to the role last year. Murtough currently oversees the club's recruitment, with the aid of technical director Darren Fletcher, in addition to the legal department, following the news Judge is set to imminently vacate his role as United's director of football negotiations.
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It is understood that chief executive Arnold is keen to make further significant changes to a number of the club's departments in a bid to alter the unwanted image United have established. Sources have also asserted that some staff have become 'too big for their boots'.
Former United defender Rio Ferdinand recently tipped current interim manager Ralf Rangnick to step into a football director role at the club, despite his underwhelming stint in the dugout. The German is due to juggle a consultancy role at Old Trafford with managerial commitments elsewhere, having been confirmed as the new coach of the Austrian national team just over a week ago.
Following the recent news that Lawlor and Bout had become the latest to leave as part of United's mass reshuffle, a club statement read: "Jim Lawlor has decided to step down from his role as Chief Scout in the Summer after 16 years with the club.
"During that time, Jim played a key role in the development of multiple trophy-winning Manchester United teams and was an important source of guidance to Sir Alex Ferguson and each of the managers who have followed him.
"Jim leaves the club with our warmest thanks for his significant contribution and our very best wishes for the future. Marcel Bout has departed from his role as Head of Global Scouting after eight years with the club.
"A respected figure within and outside of Manchester United, Marcel has played an important part as an assistant coach and in the strengthening of our scouting capabilities in recent years. Marcel leaves the club with our warmest thanks for his significant contribution and our very best wishes for the future."
