It's only 14 months since Manchester United were attempting to operate without any kind of football structure in place at Carrington, beyond an underqualified manager in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and an executive vice-chairman who enjoyed the power a little too much.
The idea of appointing a football director was first mooted in August 2018, but John Murtough wasn't formally appointed until March 2021, with Darren Fletcher named technical director at the same time.
Now Andy O'Boyle has been installed as Murtough's deputy and United have a structure in place that is beginning to mirror the kind of set-up found at the elite clubs they are attempting to rejoin.
READ MORE: United confirm new deputy football director
For so long United enjoyed success with a manager who ran the club, in Sir Alex Ferguson, but when the Scot retired the approach to the game was changing. At Old Trafford they've been slow to catch up, but that process is now gathering pace.
The appointment of O'Boyle is more vindication for the power Murtough is being handed as the man to run that football department.
It was noticeable in the press release confirming the appointment of the 39-year-old that Murtough referred to him being a "valuable addition to my team at Carrington".
But just as crucially, Murtough also touched on O'Boyle's experience in different areas of the game, having previously worked as an academy coach at United, been a fitness coach at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp, and most recently the head of elite performance at the Premier League, a role once held by Murtough.
“Andy has experience across all technical areas of football, from fitness and sports science to scouting and recruitment," said Murtough.
“This will make him a valuable
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