Manchester United Target Former Tottenham Recruitment Chief in Search for New Technical Director

Manchester United have drawn up a list of potential candidates as they step up their search for a new technical director, with former Tottenham Hotspur head of recruitment Paul Mitchell being seriously considered for the role.

Ed Woodward, executive vice-chairman at Manchester United, is looking for somebody who can help the club take an improved long-term approach to the transfer market, with Mitchell believed to be the ideal candidate. He is currently the head of recruitment at RB Leipzig, but earned a huge amount of respect working with Mauricio Pochettino at both Southampton and Tottenham.

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The link between Mitchell and Manchester United comes from The Telegraph, who claim that club officials have become frustrated with the club's recent dealings in the transfer market, and are looking for an experienced figure to help improve the situation.

Transfers at the club are usually dictated by the manager, but many of Jose Mourinho's transfer targets this summer were vetoed by club executives, who believed that the targets did not make sense from either a footballing or a financial point of view.

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Moves for Leicester City's Harry Maguire and Tottenham's Toby Alderweireld collapsed for these reasons, whilst a deal for Chelsea's Willian was also rejected after Mourinho expressed a desire to sell Anthony Martial to fund the £60m move.

It is hoped that the new technical director would be able to work alongside both the manager and the club's executives to formulate a new-and-improved transfer strategy. Should Mitchell join the club, he would oversee the club's scouting team and help all parties find a mutual understanding over potential dealings.

If they are successful in enticing Mitchell to Old Trafford, he would have to serve a notice period with his current employers, similar to his departure from Tottenham earlier this year. He is believed to have grown frustrated in Tottenham's dealings in 2016 and served a 16-month notice period before moving to the Bundesliga side.