More than a few eyebrows will have been raised when Rio Ferdinand was recently linked with the Manchester United technical director job.
The former England international, now a pundit with BT Sport, was undoubtedly one of Man Utd’s greatest players of all time, playing a starring role in much of their success in the latter part of the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
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Still, he lacks experience in such a big role, so the Mail‘s report of him being considered for the position came as something of a surprise.
According to the Manchester Evening News, however, Ferdinand has kept a close eye on things at United since he left the club, and has apparently impressed executive vice-chairman Woodward with his knowledge and attitude towards how things should be run.
Many top clubs have brought back club legends for big roles like this, with the knowledge of what made the team successful in the past clearly not a quality to be sniffed at.
The MEN claim Ferdinand is well aware of the need for a ‘cultural reset’ at MUFC after a difficult few years, and that his ideas for what the side needs in the transfer market is in tune with that of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
If Ferdinand does get the job, it will be intriguing to see what effect he can have back at Old Trafford.