Julian Ward's stance on next job amid Man Utd interest and Liverpool U-turn

17 October 2023 , 12:04

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Julian Ward's stance on next job amid Man Utd interest and Liverpool U-turn

Julian Ward is considering his next move following reports that he could feature in Manchester United's search for a new sporting director.

Ward, 42, spent 11 years at Liverpool and stepped in to replace the highly-regarded Michael Edwards last summer after the transfer guru announced he would be leaving Anfield. But Ward decided to resign from his post in November, just months after starting in the role.

Since leaving the club officially in May, Ward's services have already been sought by other clubs. An approach from Dutch giants Ajax was turned down towards the end of last season, while he is one of several names who have been discussed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos team, who are poised to purchase a 25 per cent minority stake in Liverpool's bitter rivals, Manchester United.

The Athletic have outlined that, for now, Ward is taking stock of his options after enjoying time with his family; something that was high on his agenda after leaving Anfield. It had been speculated that Ward was back at Liverpool in an advisory capacity over the summer, but that has been denied by both him and the club.

Intriguingly, it's understood that Edwards is another name that has been discussed by Ratcliffe's team, who are planning to overhaul the structure surrounding manager Erik ten Hag.

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Newcastle chief Dan Ashworth is another person of interest as is Paul Mitchell, who enjoyed a fruitful spell at Monaco. Jean-Claude Blanc, the current CEO of Ineos' sporting empire, is another candidate who could fill the sporting director role.

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Former Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward has been linked with Manchester United (Liverpoolfc.com)

The appointment of a sporting director is just one of the items on Ratcliffe's agenda if his proposal, worth around £1.3billion, is ratified by Manchester United at a board meeting later this week. And although a 25 per cent stake would see the Glazers remain in power, Ratcliffe's deal would give him control of football operations.

The petrochemicals billionaire will also press ahead with plans to renovate Old Trafford should his deal be approved. The stadium is in need of a major facelift and there are also plans to increase the stadium's capacity to 90,000, per The Times.

Ratcliffe's hopes of striking a deal were given a significant boost over the weekend when rival bidder Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani withdrew his offer for United. The Qatari-backed group were only interested in acquiring 100 per cent of the club.

Dan Marsh