Ed Woodward didn’t go on United’s 2019 Asian tour. He stayed home to negotiate the transfer window. We should know his style by now. Snails pace, can't multi-task, reactive rather than pro-active. And full of entitlement. Patrice Evra tells us about Woodward's role in his departure, ‘I am your director of football, you cant talk to me that way', he squeaked. Where is the (promised) new director of football? Well, here is the Woody news. He lied. There won't be one. Now that he has discovered what a DOF actually does, he doesn't like it one little bit. Woody won't be dictated to.
The window started with the shocking treatment of Herrera, let go, not replaced. It ended with Eriksen, ballsed up.
If certain journos are right, even the good stuff he did, he did it ham-fistedly. He eventually paid the asking fee for Maguire, after failing to deliver the same player for Mourhino 12 months before. Longstaff is another feck up. He could have been signed for £20m this summer. Remember Fellaini – Woody missed the boat on his release clause, and wasted millions.
But ok, there were positives this summer, Maguire, James and of course Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Looking forward to seeing these guys in red. The idea of bringing in the youth is refreshing.
But news stories abound now of disquiet in the youth structure; we know of the issues that happened around scouting. An article in a tabloid claims players were so tired of personal sponsor appearances last autumn that they refused to participate. It is easy to believe that Woodward is not liked or respected inside the club. He has the aura of a particularly worm-like prep school teacher.
For how long will Solskjaer keep smiling?
The window started with the shocking treatment of Herrera, let go, not replaced. It ended with Eriksen, ballsed up.
If certain journos are right, even the good stuff he did, he did it ham-fistedly. He eventually paid the asking fee for Maguire, after failing to deliver the same player for Mourhino 12 months before. Longstaff is another feck up. He could have been signed for £20m this summer. Remember Fellaini – Woody missed the boat on his release clause, and wasted millions.
But ok, there were positives this summer, Maguire, James and of course Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Looking forward to seeing these guys in red. The idea of bringing in the youth is refreshing.
But news stories abound now of disquiet in the youth structure; we know of the issues that happened around scouting. An article in a tabloid claims players were so tired of personal sponsor appearances last autumn that they refused to participate. It is easy to believe that Woodward is not liked or respected inside the club. He has the aura of a particularly worm-like prep school teacher.
For how long will Solskjaer keep smiling?
