Fletcher Appointed Technical Director In Man Utd Shake-Up

In a statement on Wednesday, executive vice-chairman of the club, Ed Woodward said John Murtough has also been promoted to the role of Football Director.

He said under the new structure, Murtough will have “overall leadership and responsibility for operations and strategy across all football functions.”

Woodward added that Fletcher will work closely with him to add technical input and direction and provide a link between the Academy and the first team.

While manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will remain heavily involved in identifying new players, a new role of Director of Football Negotiations will also be undertaken by Matt Judge.

“We have already made great strides forward in the way we run our football operations, and the benefits are visible in the resurgent pipeline of Academy talent reaching the first team and through our improved recruitment record,” Woodward said.

United’s player recruitment policy has attracted criticism with fans often pointing the finger of blame at Woodward for some expensive flops such as Marouane Fellaini and Memphis Depay.