Highly-regarded figure to leave Manchester United after playing key role in summer transfers

Manchester United deputy football director Andy O’Boyle will leave the club after two years in the role as part of further football structure changes under INEOS.

United have already seen Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and Dan Ashworth appointed as chief executive, technical director and sporting director respectively, while Christopher Vivell has been appointed interim director of recruitment. It has since been decided the services of highly-regarded O'Boyle are no longer needed.

The Northern Irishman, who is a lifelong United fan, moved to Old Trafford in May 2022 to support former football director John Murtough and “drive the club’s football strategy across the first team, Academy and women’s team.”

A UEFA Pro Licence holder, O'Boyle has a great reputation across the industry from his time working with Liverpool, Coventry City and Wrexham as well as a spell in the England U21 set-up. After Murtough left the club back in April, O'Boyle took on greater responsibility under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and helped INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford established the new football hierarchy.

He also helped to upgrade United’s data science department and the recent thesis for his UEFA Pro Licence was on the future of football analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

O’Boyle was heavily involved in United's summer transfer dealings that saw them sign Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte. He also played a key role in departures with Mason Greenwood, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Scott McTominay and Jadon Sancho among those to leave Old Trafford.

According to their latest set of accounts, United employed 1,144 staff for the first three months of the calendar year and are looking to reduce their workforce by about a third.