Two Manchester United transfer appointments need to justify their roles

A year ago John Murtough and Darren Fletcher earned promotions at Manchester United and slotted into a club that appeared to finally be on the right track. Murtough became the club's ever first football director and Fletcher was appointed technical director, roles that had needed filling for several years.

The appointment of Murtough, a figure who tends to operate under the radar compared to some of his contemporaries, and a former player in Fletcher, seemed to fit the ethos of United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. But if the duo were expecting time to get their feet under the table, they were to be quickly disabused of that notion.

Now, 12 months after their appointments, both have plenty on their plate as they look ahead to second years in their respective jobs that will fundamentally decide if they are to be successful or not. Last summer's successful transfer window had been set in motion before Murtough's appointment — although he played a role in presenting the club to new recruits — but as this season has unravelled, the real demands of a football director at Old Trafford started to hit home.

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Murtough and Fletcher were involved in the interview process to recruit an interim manager, a role eventually handed to Ralf Rangnick — someone who Murtough had a previous relationship with having spent time studying the Red Bull network of clubs. It might yet be that Rangnick's consultancy role will offer an ideal sounding board for Murtough, but on the pitch, the appointment of the German hasn't been a success.

When it comes to selecting a permanent manager this summer, it is an appointment Murtough simply can't afford to get wrong, while the