Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is back on board at Old Trafford after being hired in an advisory role by the club’s chief executive Richard Arnold.
The legendary boss who retired in 2013 will form a committee alongside former CEO David Gill, iconic club captain Bryan Robson and current football director John Murtough.
The new role gives Ferguson more influence at Old Trafford than at any time at the club since he stepped down as manager.
The Scotsman reportedly began work last Tuesday as he was pictured at the club’s training base at Carrington in a lunch meeting with the club chief. According to reports by Dailymail, the meeting will be the first in a series of regular meetings involving the five men.
The move by the new club’s executive Richard Arnold sees the club take a different route to the one employed by former director Ed Woodward. Although Ferguson and Gill have remained on United’s football board as non-executive directors since leaving their jobs in 2013, they had little to say under Woodward who choose to do things his way.
But under Arnold, the duo have been reintegrated into the decision-making of the club in a bid to draw from their vast years of experience and influence.
Ferguson had always welcomed the opportunity to have more input at United after only being consulted on a handful of occasions by the then manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The 80-year-old, though in the latter stage of his life, still possesses a wealth of knowledge about the game. In over 26 years at the club, he lifted an unprecedented 38 trophies.
64-year-old Gill, who currently sits on UEFA’s executive committee and is also treasurer of European football’s governing body, played a key part in that success during his 16-year spell at United. He served as chief executive at the Old Trafford side for almost a decade. However, he too has been a peripheral figure at the club in recent years despite his standing in the game.
According to reports, the committee will advise Arnold on a wide range of issues, which include the redevelopment of Old Trafford and Carrington, and the club’s relationship with its fans.
