Telegraph Article

John Murtough will leave Manchester United this week after stepping down as football director as Ineos continue their overhaul of the club.

Murtough is expected to be replaced in due course by Dan Ashworth, whom United want to appoint as sporting director provided a compensation agreement can be struck with Newcastle.

Before then, United hope to appoint Jason Wilcox as technical director in the weeks to come with the club in talks with Southampton over a compensation package for their director of football.

Murtough’s position was under threat the moment it emerged last year that Sir Jim Ratcliffe would be handed control of football operations as part of his £1.03 billion deal with the Glazers for a minority stake in the club.

Brought to Old Trafford by former manager David Moyes in 2014, Murtough performed a variety of roles at the club before being made United’s first football director three years ago.

Murtough has been assisting the transition under Ineos and has now opted to stand aside and let the new operation take shape.

There has been some discussion about Murtough taking on a different role at the club but it is now set to be announced he is leaving.

He had sought to improve United’s dire recruitment record since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 but the quality of the club’s signings has remained decidedly chequered.

Erik ten Hag, the United manager, has asserted huge influence over transfer policy but Ineos - who have identified recruitment as one of the club’s most pressing problems – plan to change that and want specialists governing incomings and outgoings.

Omar Berrada is due to start as United chief executive this summer and Ineos hope to have Wilcox in situ sooner rather than later given that it could take longer before they have Ashworth in place.

Matt Hargreaves and Andy O’Boyle, whom Murtough brought in as director of football negotiations and deputy football director respectively, are expected to help lead United’s day to day operations in conjunction with Ineos while the club awaits the appointment of new starters. David Harrison, the director of football operations, is also likely to fold into that.

Sir Dave Brailsford, the Ineos director of sport who has been conducting a thorough audit of United’s football operations, is offering oversight behind the scenes and helping to orchestrate many of the changes.

Corporate restructuring firm Interpath Advisory are currently overseeing a major cost-cutting drive at United in a bid to free up more money to invest in the first team squad and ensure the club do not flout Premier League rules governing spending.

They began their review early last month and have been tasked with examining all areas of United’s business with a view to driving greater efficiency and determining where savings can be made.

Certain moves have already been made such as cancelling the corporate credit cards of senior staff and scaling back the use of chauffeur-driven private cars for staff.

Ratcliffe wants to overhaul the culture at the club and maximise resources to ensure United have as much money as possible to spend on improving the squad and the club’s facilities while complying with financial rules.

United’s finances are tight heading into Ratcliffe’s first transfer window and the Ineos owner wants to provide the recruitment team with as much room for manoeuvre as possible given the limits presented by the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) and Uefa’s Financial Sustainability regulations.

United’s summer transfer budget will be severely squeezed by financial fair play restrictions – and take an even bigger hit if the club fail to qualify for the Champions League, with the club currently 11 points adrift of fourth placed Spurs and Aston Villa in fifth.

Interpath are adopting a two-tiered approach to analysing business and operational costs, with the first phase of their review focusing on the club’s fixed and variable costs, such as travel expenditure, utilities arrangements and contracts with external suppliers.

The second phase later this year will look specifically at employee costs and is expected to lead to substantial job cuts.

Telegraph Sport reported earlier this year how around 250 jobs could be under threat amid the prospect of cuts to around 25 per cent of staff. According to the club’s latest accounts, United employed 1,112 staff as of June 30 last year, by far the highest number among the Premier League’s big six, and there is a general acceptance staffing levels are bloated.