Manchester United have been linked with a shock move for former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards.
It has been claimed this week that Edwards has been mentioned as someone of interest to United's hierarchy. Edwards kept a deliberately low profile during his time at Anfield, but he was actually the mastermind behind their laudable transfer strategy.
Edwards was the man who underpinned Jurgen Klopp's success at the club. He has never received much fanfare outside of Liverpool, however, those on Merseyside are well aware of his importance.
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Edwards announced last year that he would be leaving Liverpool this summer. Edwards started his career as a performance analyst at Portsmouth, he then spent two years at Tottenham before making the switch to Liverpool in 2011.
Edwards was installed as sporting director in 2016 and Liverpool won the Premier League four years later. He has built a reputation as a meticulous planner during his time at Liverpool and the players he brought to the club have shaped Klopp's side.
The signings of Van Dijk, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Allison Becker and Mohamed Salah — Klopp didn't even want the Salah but Edwards persuaded him — have all been his doing and they've all proved wonderful value for investment. Edwards also excelled at selling players at Liverpool and he brought in almost £60million for Rhian Brewster, Dominic Solanke and Jordon Ibe.
However, Edwards joining United this summer is understood to be highly unlikely. John Murtough was appointed as United's inaugural football director last year and he's been given more power since Richard Arnold was promoted to chief executive.
Murtough is responsible for United's recruitment and the club appointed Andy O'Boyle as deputy football director last month after he vacated his role as the head of elite performance at the Premier League to support Murtough, who once occupied that position.
It's thought O'Boyle's arrival will free up around two-thirds of Murtough’s working week. O'Boyle will aim to remove plenty of distractions from his daily inbox and allow Murtough to focus on the first-team and, most importantly, summer recruitment.
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