Former Manchester United football director John Murtough has joined Atalanta in a new role.
John Murtough was axed by Manchester United in April 2024 after giving 11 years worth of service to the club, whom he’d joined in 2013 along with former manager David Moyes from Everton.
The 54-year-old set out to work on United’s academy and scouting department before he earned a promotion to head of football development at a time when many United fans questioned whether it was just another internal appointment from the Glazer family.
Murtough would become the club’s first football director five years later. He was in charge of the men’s, women’s and academy operations at the club, playing a key role in the appointment of Erik ten Hag as well as the recruitment drive that took place during that period.
After Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority stake purchase in the football club, the British billionaire became co-owner and took control of football operations, making wholesale changes to the structure of the club. This eventually spelt the end of Murtough’s time at Old Trafford.
John Murtough joins Atalanta
Although United fans will remember Murtough for the questionable recruitment they continue to suffer from, that has not stopped him from picking up a job elsewhere in football.
It has been announced that the former football director of Manchester United has become Atalanta’s director of global development.
Atalanta is an Italian club with an incredible youth academy, which United have benefited from in the past, eventually, Amad Diallo, which is a signing Murtough will be remembered fondly for from his time in Manchester.
United paid big money (£37 million) for the Ivorian teenager in 2020, taking a big gamble on an unproven starlet, but this season the winger has blossomed into a key player – under Ten Hag before Ruben Amorim.
The Italian side are led by the respected Gian Piero Gasperini and they are currently third in Serie A, having won the Europa League last season.
Murtough’s new role will be co-ordinated by sporting director Tony D’Amico.
Murtough responsible for £64m Rasmus Hojlund transfer
We have already mentioned one of the highlights of Amorim’s time at United, being the capture of Amad, but one can’t ignore the £64m spent to sign Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta in 2023, with £8.5m in performance-related bonuses three years later.
It was one of Murtough’s final recruits at Old Trafford and, so far, he has bemused United fans with his lack of goal contributions, despite making 86 appearances for the club, scoring just 24 goals across all competitions.
| Games | Goals | Assists |
| 86 | 24 | 6 |
Amorim built a strong relationship with Atalanta over the years having been responsible for conducting two mega-money deals with them during his time at United.
Murtough will be looking to take experience from his spells at others clubs – including Everton, Coventry City and Fulham – when he starts work at Atalanta, although it will be a different environment for the football chief.
It will be interesting to see if Murtough will be helpful if United come knocking on the door for any Atalanta play
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