John Murtough got his biggest Manchester United call right with Erik ten Hag and Antonio Conte

The best compliment you could offer Manchester United football director John Murtough is that nobody is really talking about him anymore. That, you imagine, is just how he likes it.

It hasn't always been like this. The clamour was for United to appoint a name as their first director of football, a Monchi, a Paul Mitchell, a Luis Campos. Not to hand the biggest job on the football side of the business to someone who had been working in the shadows at Old Trafford for seven years.

Murtough has understood the role and played his part in United's success this season, however. He got the appointment of Erik ten Hag right and has led the football department with diligence and professionalism.

READ MORE: Glazers should expect unprecedented fan backlash if they reject bids

Having alighted on Ten Hag as the right manager, he also helped encourage the club to back him in the summer transfer market. The window was an unqualified success and Murtough deserves credit for that.

But it is Murtough's first decision in the job that now reflects well on him. He had been in the role, alongside technical director Darren Fletcher, for six months when it became clear Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's time was coming to an end.

The writing was on the wall after the 5-0 defeat to Liverpool on October 24 and at that point there was a clamour to make an obvious change. The Solskjaer era was effectively over and Antonio Conte was available. Not just available, but desperate to get the job.

Instead, United held firm. Solskjaer was a dead man walking in the job for another month, but the win he managed against Tottenham led Conte to North London. At the time the perception was that United's prevaricating had cost them the chance to appoint an elite