The new Man United minority shareholder wants to bring in AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini as the new football director, as per reports.
Earlier this week, Man United announced the departure of Richard Arnold as Sir Jim Ratcliffe kickstarts the changes at Old Trafford. And now, the experts are suggesting that the roles of the football director and director of football operations are also set to be changed.
John Murtough is the current director of football and Ratcliffe reportedly wants Paolo Maldini for that role by the end of this season.
Maldini reportedly had a falling out with Milan’s owner Gerry Cardinale following which he was sacked as Milan’s technical director in the summer. He is not linked with any club right now so it won’t be tough to bring in on board but as things stand, former Juventus CEO Jean-Claude Blanc is the current favourite to land the role.
Should Man United go after Paolo Maldini?
Most people believe Man United have turned into a business machine as football has taken a back seat in the post-Ferguson era so if Sir Jim Ratcliffe can bring in someone like Paolo Maldini it will be a great usher to the new era.
In recent years, Manchester United has made zero sense in the transfer market but with someone like Maldini in their camp, the Italian legend will at least make sure the manager gets players whom he actually needs.
The 55-year-old has won five Champions League with Milan and had 126 caps for the Italian national team and with him at Old Trafford, United will at least move in the right direction.
Under Erik ten Hag, Manchester United are slowly moving forward because despite the poor start and the numerous injuries they are still sixth on the Premier League table – just seven points behind league leaders Manchester City. Now, if they can bring in a director of football like Maldini, United could finally start to seriously challenge for trophies in the coming seasons.
The transfer policies have been really poor in the post-Fergie era as Man United have constantly signed the wrong players and at the same time, overpaid for all the right ones. Managers have struggled to sign players of their choice and they have had to constantly settle with alternatives.
However, a person like Paolo Maldini, with his vast footballing knowledge will make sure that the manager gets what he demands during the transfer windows. There’s still a long way to go but with names like Jean-Claude Blanc and Maldini doing the rounds, Sir Ratcliffe is at least making sense with his choices and vision.
