Ed Woodward finally reverted to insults over his own stature at Manchester United.
Claims have been made about the Red Devils being run under the wrong people and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might not be the right person for the managerial job.
“The middle section of last season, after Ole’s arrival, feels most relevant to what we want to achieve and where we want to be,” said Woodward at the club’s annual all-staff meeting on Thursday. “We saw a team playing fast, fluid football, with a clear representation of the style and philosophy the manager wants.
“Ole has also instilled the discipline back into an environment where we may have lacked it in recent years. He is building a squad that respects the club’s history, in which players work hard and respect their team-mates. No-one is bigger than the club.”
United spent around £140m this summer on Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire but they also sold off Romelu Lukaku, a proven goalscorer. This led to accusations that Woodward might not have the football understanding that he needs and his intentions are purely to run on a commercial blueprint.
To this he replied, “The reality of Manchester United is we are a club in two parts. First of all, we are an incredible 141-year footballing institution with all that history, all that legacy, all that tradition and that tradition of success.
“That can never, ever change. We need to keep that protected… what’s important is the commercial side is never allowed to take priority over the football side.
“Like other football clubs, our commercial business allows us to reinvest in the football side. It’s how these two interact with each other at Manchester United that results in us having a competitive advantage in this area.
“There is a myth that we have non-football people making football decisions, and I think it’s insulting to the brilliant people who work on the football side in this club.
“Many of the senior staff on the football side of the club have been in their roles for over 10 years. Some of our scouts have worked with us for more than 25 years.
“We’ve expanded our recruitment department in recent years and we believe this now runs in an efficient and productive way. Player recommendations and decisions are worked on by this department and by the first-team manager and his staff, not by senior management.”
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