Paul Mitchell’s quotes on Manchester United’s problems show why he is ideal Old Trafford candidate

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Paul Mitchell, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United, spoke in the summer of 2022 about the problems at Old Trafford and he may be the perfect candidate for the sporting director role.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe will complete his 25 per cent acquisition of Manchester United in the next two weeks according to a report from The Telegraph, after there were slight delays in finalising the paperwork.

It seems that Ineos’s plan to improve the structure at Old Trafford means that a sporting director will be targeted and Paul Mitchell, formerly of AS Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton, is a name firmly in the frame.

Speaking last summer, Mitchell gave a pretty good answer to why United have been having so many problems of late.

Mitchell on United’s problems

Mitchell, speaking to Sky Sports after Erik ten Hag was appointed in 2022, believes that consistency in decision-making is what United needed.

“I think context is important to measure what Manchester United’s current situation is, but I think they do need to get to the point of really putting down what Manchester United needs to be in the modern game,” Mitchell said.

“Erik ten Hag is a top coach from Ajax but they need a top blueprint not only for now but for the next five years and work towards that, and sometimes on that journey there are hard moments when you don’t get the right results, even though you’re doing the right things.

“You have to know that, over that period, the consistency of the decision-making will yield a good end result. I think we’ve seen that both Manchester City and Liverpool, that when you adopt that long-term strategy you can get real consistency and sustainable success.”

Mitchell the ideal sporting director

The former Monaco man, who is currently out of work, has been heavily linked with a role at Old Trafford once Ratcliffe’s takeover at Old Trafford is ratified.

Mitchell has years of experience and the blueprint he hypothetically set out for United is really the perfect plan for the medium-long term at Old Trafford.

For years now, United have jumped from one style of play to the next with every manager they appoint. The addition of a more streamlined structure for the whole club should eliminate this issue in the future once Erik ten Hag moves on from the club, whenever that may be.