Manchester United ‘lining up Everton’s Marcel Brands’ to be their first director of football after struggles in the transfer market with Dutchman’s Goodison Park contract up next year
- Marcelo Brands has revamped Everton’s recruitment over the past two years
- Dutchman won praise for summer arrivals including James Rodriguez
- His contract at the Goodison Park club comes to an end next summer
- Reports suggest Man United could make him their first director of football
- Italian club Roma are also interested in recruiting highly-regarded Brands
Marcel Brands ‘is a leading candidate to become Manchester United‘s first director of football’.
The Dutchman, 58, currently fulfils the same role at Everton and has been praised for his recruitment of James Rodriguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure last summer.
His contract with the Goodison Park club expires at the end of the season with Italian club Roma also interested in his services.
Marcel Brands ‘is a leading candidate’ to become Manchester United’s first director of football
Brands has worked with Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti to revamp the club’s recruitment
According to The Sun, Brands is now being linked with a newly-created director of football post at United and would find an offer hard to refuse.
Brands, who enjoyed a long playing career in the Dutch leagues, had been director of football at RKC Waalwijk, AZ Alkmaar and PSV Eindhoven before joining Everton in 2018.
Since then, he has revamped the club’s recruitment policy after a number of questionable moves in the transfer market.
United have been considering creating a director of football role for some time following their own recruitment problems under executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
James Rodriguez (right), playing against United here, was a popular recruit for Everton
United’s transfer business is overseen by executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward but there has been talk the club will create a director of football role for some time
They have been criticised this year for failing to land prime targets Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho, both of Borussia Dortmund, then signing the ageing striker Edinson Cavani close to deadline day.
That came off the back of a number of expensive failures in the market under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s three predecessors as manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
Angel Di Maria, Alexis Sanchez and Morgan Schneiderlin are just three of the players signed at great expense only to flop at Old Trafford.
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