According to the latest reports, former Manchester United center-back Rio Ferdinand has held conversations with club vice-chairman Ed Woodward to fill in the void for the position as sporting director at Old Trafford. The 40-year-old ex-England international would be aiding his previous colleagues at the club including Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick in the off-field department.
Manchester United seems to be in quite a shambles at the moment considering the fact that they finished sixth on the Premier League table and without any silverware this season. At the start of the season, Portuguese boss Jose Mourinho was in charge of the club but the United faithful didn’t take too kindly with his defensive approach and negative tactics on the pitch. With no results to show for the poor and dire performances, the writing was on the wall for the 56-year-old and he got the sack in December. The Red Devils then turned to a familiar face in the form of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to handle the reins at least until the end of the season to stabilize the sinking ship.
However, the Norwegian was appointed and he exceeded expectations in his first few games in charge of the club helping United reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League in dramatic fashion eliminating Ligue 1 side Paris Saint Germain in the Round of 16. The red half of Manchester overcame a 2-0 deficit in the first leg to win 3-1 at the Parc Des Princes and progress through to the next stage. United also strung together a bunch of positive results in the Premier League which helped them come closer to achieving a top-four berth.
These impressive performances and results handed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a permanent job with a three-year contract. Results did not favor United following the confirmation of Solskjaer’s appointment as United crashed out of the Champions League against Barcelona and suffered a few humiliating defeats in the Premier League including a 2-0 loss to already relegated Cardiff City on the final day of the season. This indicated that there is a big job for Solskjaer in the summer as he looks to rebuild and strengthen his squad to get United competing for major honors in the near future.
There is a job vacancy at Old Trafford because the club needs to find a sporting director who can actually help the club in a structural format to scout and purchase players at Manchester United. Former club captain Rio Ferdinand has admitted that he has spoken to vice-chairman Ed Woodward in a bid to take up the role as Sporting director so that Woodward can handle the commercial aspect of things.
While speaking to BBC Sportsweek, Ferdinand wasn’t shy on discussing his desire to fill up the job as Sporting Director at Manchester United and the conversations he has had with Ed Woodward, “I have always spoken to Ed since I left, anyway. I had that type of relationship with him, I have not seen him at a game, so all the chats I have had with him have been on the phone or I go and see him when I am in London. I am not the type to dilly-dally around. I have seen the stuff in the papers. ‘What is that role about?’ I have asked that question – so yes, I have spoken to him. I am very honest and Ed’s open and honest with me. Manchester United and the powers that be will decide as and when they are going to put someone into that role. If I am the person on that list and the person they are going to talk to, then that time will come. It’s nice to be on a list in such a responsible role at such a prestigious club. If the call comes I will say, ‘thank you very much for that’, but if that call doesn’t come, I will not lose sleep over it.”
