Who leads Manchester United’s crucial summer transfer window now?

John Murtough’s departure from Manchester United prompts an obvious question: who will be responsible for this summer’s crucial transfer window?

The Athletic broke the news on Tuesday that Murtough will vacate his football director role at Old Trafford, a position he has held since 2021, and leave the club at which he has spent more than a decade.

Going into INEOS’ first transfer window since its $1.3billion (£1.03bn) deal to purchase a 27.7 per cent shareholding in United went through in February, Murtough’s exit will undoubtedly create an element of uncertainty.

Omar Berrada, United’s incoming chief executive, will not assume control of operations until the summer after completing his gardening leave at City Football Group, the multi-club behemoth that includes Manchester City.

Dan Ashworth is set to become the club’s sporting director once United agree a compensation package with Newcastle United, while Jason Wilcox is due to be named the new technical director after a termination fee is accepted by Southampton.

While these appointments have been widely viewed as a step in the right direction, there is one clear issue: they are all, as yet, unable to carry out official work for United.

And, to put it bluntly, there is a lot to be done from a recruitment standpoint on the men’s side. Despite significant investment across the squad, United still have plenty of gaps to fill. Signing a centre-forward to partner Rasmus Hojlund remains a priority, with Anthony Martial due to leave the club as a free agent.

Questions also hover over Raphael Varane’s future, which could lead to United needing to sign a replacement for the central defender as he is out of contract in the summer. Casemiro, their Brazilian midfielder who signed a long-term deal in 2022, has also been linked with an exit, as has fellow midfielder Christian Eriksen.

There is also Erik ten Hag’s long-term future at Old Trafford to consider, with INEOS aiming to introduce a football structure led by a sporting director with a head coach underneath.

So there is much work to do at Old Trafford, but who is going to do it?

Sir Dave Brailsford, INEOS’ director of sport who is frequently on the ground at Carrington, will provide executive oversight of a team that includes director of football negotiations Matt Hargreaves, deputy football director Andy O’Boyle, and director of football operations David Harrison.

The former British Cycling chief will not become United’s interim football director, but those at the club, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, note that part of the reason for Murtough stepping away is so others can develop a relationship with Brailsford. If Murtough had stayed until the summer, it could have proven to be an awkward transition.

Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is also actively meeting people in football in a way the Glazer family have never done.

Away from his official capacity at United, Ratcliffe has met several managers in recent months, most notably at a Grenadier — a car designed and sold by INEOS — launch event in London in February.

Former England manager Roy Hodgson, Brentford manager Thomas Frank, and ex-Chelsea boss Frank Lampard were among those in attendance at the launch night, which was followed by a group dinner attended by Ratcliffe.

Ever since INEOS’ investment into United was signed off, transition has been a buzzword. Brailsford’s first mission was to look and learn, to get a feel for the goings on at Carrington, before implementing a long-term strategy to return the club to winning ways.

Those plans are still in their infancy, but whether it is Murtough leaving or Ashworth potentially coming in, they are incrementally being rolled out.

Another notable change is also taking place in line with Wilcox’s impending arrival. The plan is for Darren Fletcher, United’s current technical director, to be given a new job title, with United hoping to retain his services.

And even if Wilcox is through the door before Ashworth, the former Manchester City academy director is not going to be acting as the interim sporting director.

All of this upheaval is taking place at the same time United are planning for next season. Their pre-season trip to the United States has already been organised and discussions over potential transfer targets have been going on in the background. Ten Hag has been at the heart of both and is said to be open to working in a head coach role in the new setup.

Although United are 11 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and fifth-placed Aston Villa in the Premier League, making Champions League qualification an uphill task, they still have a shot at winning the FA Cup.

(Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

Ten Hag will lead his team out at Wembley on April 21, where they will play Championship side Coventry City in the semi-final, with the winner going on to play either Manchester City or Chelsea in May’s final.

Murtough led the way when it came to appointing Ten Hag and he backed him in successive transfer windows, whether that was spending £81.3million on Antony in 2022 or £55million on Mason Mount last summer.

The club credits Murtough with leading the regeneration of their academy, including better recruitment and infrastructure, which led to a 2022 Youth Cup win and Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo breaking into the first team.

Murtough also oversaw the creation of the women’s team in 2018, with the squad now established in the Women’s Super League. His brief included overseeing the women’s team, with O’Boyle working as his deputy. O’Boyle will continue in that role alongside new interim head of women’s football Matt Johnson, who is taking the role for six months while United consider their long-term options. As The Athletic first reported, women’s team manager Marc Skinner has been offered a new contract and talks continue, with his current deal set to expire at the end of this season.

United believe his work across the board, be it in creating a data science team or overhauling their scouting operations, has laid the groundwork for the new ownership structure to hit the ground running.

In a statement released to announce Murtough’s exit, Ratcliffe praised him for his “support and integrity” during the recent ownership transition, with Joel Glazer paying tribute to his “tireless work” over the past 11 years.

Only time will tell, however, whether the changes at United will have a positive or negative impact on their summer transfer window.

(Top photo: Robin Jones/Getty Images)