Manchester United’s rumoured interest in appointing Rio Ferdinand as their first ever technical director may be in vain.
Ferdinand became the latest name to be linked with the role as United step up their attempts to restructure how the club operates, with a revamp of the current recruitment strategy to be prioritised by the board this summer.
With the hope that someone with inside knowledge of the club’s decorated history and a passion to return United to their former glory, several ex-players have been linked with positions in the new set-up and both Paul Scholes and Darren Fletcher have been touted as potential candidates.
But according to a report in the Times, Ferdinand would turn down any offer to become technical director for a couple of reasons.
The report states that Ferdinand, who has moved to the south of England, would be reluctant to relocate back to Manchester and disrupt the school lives of his three children.
Dropping Knowledge ⚽️🧠 https://t.co/6idWJa1ogp
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) April 30, 2019
It’s also claimed that Ferdinand remains committed to his punditry job with BT Sport and intends to see out his deal, which currently has two years remaining on it.
United’s assistant manager, Mike Phelan, is believed to be clear favourite for the technical director position, with the Times revealing that he is eager for a broader role with the Red Devils moving forward.
Phelan has the backing of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and ticks several boxes, with few figures more knowledgeable about United than the former long-time assistant to the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.
