Manchester United has been rebuilding since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. The legendary United boss departed at the end of the 2012–13 Premier League season, leaving a void that has been hard to fill.
Now, the Red Devils are undergoing an overhaul from top to bottom.
The investment in the overhaul includes new signings and new management.
According to The Athletic‘s David Ornstein, the latest instalment of changes will likely include the departure of Manchester United’s director of football operations, executive Alan Dawson.
He reports that Dawson, a remnant of the Ed Woodward era, will renounce his position. Dawson had held the role since 2017 and will continue to work on an ‘unspecified special project.’
Ornstein confirms that United has declined to comment. In addition, the departure has yet to be officially confirmed. Sources close to the situation expect Dawson to leave the club in due time.
Dawson is an incumbent in the United role since April 2012, after 17 years of service with the Royal Air Force.
He had a broad list of responsibilities.
Ornstein relays, “His responsibilities focused more on logistics and infrastructure than sporting performance — including areas such as travel, security, and training ground operations.”
“It is the latest in a series of behind-the-scenes movements, which have notably seen former director of football negotiations Matt Judge and chief strategy officer Hemen Tseayo leave. The alterations follow the appointment of Richard Arnold as chief executive last January and the widening of John Murtough’s role as football director.”
A two-way street
Ornstein goes on to underline that the movement of personnel at United consists of outgoings and new arrivals. Detailing some of the arrivals, he says, “O’Boyle was named deputy football director, with Polly Bancroft becoming head of women’s football and Dominic Jordan, the new director of data science.”
As new blood enters the Red Devils’ ranks and the last fragments of the Woodward era are shown the door, a quiet sense of belief creeps back into the Theatre of Dreams.
The once-dominant Manchester United may very well restore its reputation as a powerhouse in world football.