There had long been a clamour from Manchester United fans for the club to appoint a sporting director but that ended last year, although not as many would have hoped. There was no appointment of Edwin van der Sar or Michael Edwards and it was no 'sporting director'.
United appointed John Murtough as the club’s first football director instead, alongside the announcement of the appointment of Darren Fletcher as technical director, and the news hardly excited supporters, with the club choosing to promote from within rather than draft in an established name. That promotion policy has not worked over the last 10 years and Murtough was no Van der Sar.
Although Murtough is officially the football director, he is responsible for first-team recruitment and for all football matters, which makes him the de factor sporting director at the club, and that level of responsibility brings scrutiny, naturally.
ALSO READ: Ten Hag has revealed United's plan for Garnacho this season
Murtough seemed to enjoy a successful first transfer window at the club, completing the signings of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo, but the real test of his credentials came this year, with the club without a manager and in desperate need of reinforcements in the market. It felt like the next five years were going to be shaped by the summer's decisions.
He might have got the appointment of the manager right but his approach to player recruitment was deeply flawed. Murtough was responsible for leading the search for a new manager, the interviews and the appointment of Erik ten Hag, which he gets credit for, but even Murtough would surely admit that the summer transfer window became a bit of a circus.
Sources indicated Murtough and Arnold were 'inter-railing around Europe' but the club were spending more money on travel expenses than on midfielders this summer, until the late addition of Casemiro from Real Madrid for an initial £60million.
It was later understood that United had actively been following Casemiro's situation in Spain, but the signing of the Brazilian gave the impression of a panic purchase, especially since he is such a different player to De Jong, who was Ten Hag's priority.
Although United looked foolish chasing Frenkie de Jong, the summer nadir was the club's short-lived interest in Marko Arnautovic.
The majority of the players that United signed in the summer were recommended by Ten Hag and Murtough merely completed the deals, which is obviously a dangerous strategy, as there is no framework in place to ensure recruitment is aligned with the club's long-term vision. If the season had continued as it begun against Brighton and Brentford, Ten Hag could theoretically have been sacked by September and United would have been stuck with players his replacement might not have wanted.
The most successful clubs give power to the manager but not to the extent that Ten Hag was given this summer. Jurgen Klopp infamously wasn't totally sold on Mohamed Salah before Liverpool's transfer committee pushed the deal through, which perfectly highlights why clubs need continuity with their recruitment, as players tend to outlast the managers that sign them.
Fortunately for Murtough, the signings Ten Hag made this summer are delivering and that has saved him from the spotlight and scrutiny. The appointment of the Dutchman, which was his biggest decision as football director yet, has also seemed a wise one.
The obvious caveat is that Ten Hag has been only been in charge for a few months, but he's made an excellent impression in Manchester and the glimmers of his philosophy are now becoming sustained in matches after a difficult start.
United are undefeated in seven matches and their performance against Tottenham in the 2-0 win at Old Trafford this month was the most accomplished display at the club for years. It was a night that provided a glimpse into what the future might look like.
The style of play that Ten Hag is trying to implement is obvious, the pressing of the ball has been impressive and United now look cohesive, instead of tactically neglected, which it seemed they were with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick in charge.
This season remains a transitional campaign and perspective is required after the worst season at the club for decades, but the progress that Ten Hag is making is promising and even Pep Guardiola praised his work on Friday afternoon.
Guardiola was speaking at his pre-match press conference and said: "I have the feeling United are coming back, finally United is coming back. I've seen it on Thursday, against Chelsea the first half. I said I like what I see of United right now. There will be a lot of teams like United fighting for there. That's why you have to fight to qualify for the Champions League and fight for the title."
Manchester City's manager has always been complimentary to United and sometimes his comments feel insincere, but his verdict on the work that Ten Hag is doing at Old Trafford was genuine, which is quite the seal of approval.
The appointment of Ten Hag was the most important decision at the club this summer - it seems to have been done right.
READ MORE:
