John Murtough leaves as the figurehead of their dismal demise

John Murtough is a studious character who, for the most part, has liked operating in the shadows.

Public interviews have not been his style - you have to dig deep in the archives to find a 2019 chat with commercial partner Gulf Oil totalling 144 seconds - while photos of him in Manchester United attire didn’t surface until an unveiling image in 2021 when he became director of football.

At Burnley earlier in the season he shuffled his feet and waited patiently by the tunnel to pick the bones out of United’s 1-0 win at Turf Moor with boss Erik ten Hag. There was, truth be told, little fuss around one of the main shot-callers at Manchester United.

‘The Fixer’ was the nickname affixed to him by some staff at Carrington. From when he joined the academy set-up in 2013 through to his decision to step down later this week, he had a knack of getting things done.

Take United’s transfer dealings during the Covid-19 pandemic as a case-in-point.

Murtough flew out to Bergamo in Italy to grease the wheels to bring Amad Diallo from Atalanta to Old Trafford.

It was a key trip at a difficult time and Murtough, sources explained, would go on to see out his two-week quarantine holed up in his garage, which doubled as his office, at home.

He went on to be key to the appointment of Erik ten Hag, too, and deservedly drew praise for the Dutchman’s first season which delivered a Carabao Cup, a third-placed finish in the Premier League and an FA Cup final appearance. The growth of the women’s team and ascension of the academy are two positives credited to his tenure.

But there are no hiding places at United, no shadows in which to mask shortcomings in. Not when Ineos walked into United with a bright bulb flashlight to scrutinise every inch of the