Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is finally prepared to appoint a director of football at the club, with ex-players Rio Ferdinand and Darren Fletcher among those who have reportedly have been consulted for the role.
Woodward, who is in charge of the day-to-day running of the club at boardroom level, has received significant criticism for his lack of footballing nous, whilst receiving praise for his expansion of the Red Devils' commercial operations.
Since the 47-year-old took over from David Gill as de facto CEO of the club in 2012, United's recruitment has been largely disappointing.
During Woodward's tenure, the Red Devils have forked out a whopping £840m in combined transfer fees and have received little reward - having only won the League Cup, FA Cup and Europa League.