Football News: Manchester United director of football John Murtough says a “thorough process” is underway to appoint the club’s next permanent manager, vowing the club will remain focused on competing for “top honours” once more. United’s latest financial statistics were released on Tuesday, and despite the return of superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford, the club has had another challenging season. The best the English heavyweights can hope for in terms of domestic success is a top-four finish, but they only secured a draw against lowly Watford on Saturday and are only two points ahead of West Ham and Arsenal, who both have three games in hand.
United have a difficult schedule ahead of them, which includes matches against title contenders Manchester City and Liverpool, as well as the second leg of their Champions League tie with Atletico Madrid, which is now tied at 1-1.
The team has been managed by interim manager Ralf Rangnick since December when the German took over after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fired after a dismal start to the season.
As they attempt to secure Champions League status, Murtough said he was encouraged by the “better results.”
“We know that consistency is key as we strive for a top-four finish this season,” he said.
“I want to reiterate however that this is not the ultimate objective for Manchester United, and everyone at the club is focused on challenging for the top trophies.
“We are now conducting a thorough process for the appointment of a new permanent manager who will take charge this summer, with the objective to get us back to challenging for those domestic and European titles.”
Mauricio Pochettino of PSG and Erik ten Hag of Ajax are among the frontrunners to follow Solskjaer on a permanent basis.
Richard Arnold mirrored Murtough’s concerns in his first public comments since taking over as CEO on February 1, when executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward stepped down.
“We have a clear goal, and we’re putting in place a winning strategy with an empowered leadership team to help us get there,” he said.
“Through a world-class football environment, we will cultivate a culture of excellence while increasing the role of supporters at the club’s core.”
United paid 10 million pounds ($13.4 million) in “extraordinary items” in the second quarter of fiscal 2022, which included remuneration to former manager Solskjaer and some members of the coaching staff.
The statistics reveal a 5.4 million pound operating profit for the quarter, with total revenue of £185.4 million, up 7.3 per cent from the same period last year, thanks to people returning to stadiums following the coronavirus suspension.
United’s net debt has climbed by 8.6% to £494.8 million, and wages have increased by 19.6% to £97.7 million “owing to investment in the first team playing squad.”
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