While all the talk is of whether Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be the permanent successor to Jose Mourinho, Manchester United are currently pressing on with a separate recruitment drive to appoint the club’s first director of football. 

MIKE KEEGAN looks at the runners and riders in the race to become an integral part of what is hoped will be a successful new era at Old Trafford.

Manchester United chief Ed Woodward is recruiting the club’s first ever director of football

Edwin van der Sar

The former United goalkeeper is winning admiration for his role as chief executive at Ajax. Van Der Sar is gaining a reputation as an astute operator in the transfer market and any man who can take £24million from Everton for Davy Klaassen should not be underestimated. 

Van der Sar has statesmanlike qualities and few would bet against him making the step up. His arrival would also prove popular with United’s supporters, who hold fond memories of the big Dutchman’s trophy-laden time between the sticks.

Former United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has been building a big reputation at Ajax

Andrea Berta

If executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is looking for a man with a consistent track record then the Atletico Madrid sporting director stands a real chance. 

The 47-year-old has been with Atletico since 2012, a golden era for a club who have traditionally played second fiddle in Spain’s capital. 

Italian Berta has been instrumental in their rise and has many contacts on the Continent. He started as a scout with Atletico after being spotted by former United chief executive Peter Kenyon, who was working for the club at the time. Berta has been influential in recruiting the likes of Diego Costa, Radamel Falcao and Antoine Griezmann.

Atletico Madrid sporting director Andrea Berta has had many big transfer successes

United youth coach Tony Whelan is a leading contender for promotion from within

John Murtagh and Tony Whelan

United are not averse to appointing from within, should they feel that the best candidate already works at the club. 

Insiders have told Sportsmail that the ‘cultural fit’ of any contender will play a big part on their decision and there would be no issues with youth development stars Murtagh and Whelan. 

The pair have taken the credit for the development of the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard and with a growing belief at Old Trafford that club’s identity was, and should always be, focused on that area, both stand a chance. 

Of the two, Murtagh, a David Moyes appointment who worked with the Scot at Everton, is the more likely.

Paul Mitchell

If United are to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as Mourinho’s replacement, this would be a move that appears to make perfect sense. Manchester-born Mitchell is currently sporting director at RB Leipzig but was head of recruitment at Tottenham before heading to Germany. 

Mitchell’s eye for young talent is highly-rated and would seem to fit with a commitment to youth at United, which faltered under previous managerial appointments. Mitchell, 37, has been described by Gary Neville as ‘the perfect candidate’. 

It is understood, however, that he is not one of the frontrunners. Mitchell is credited with spotting the potential in the likes of Sadio Mane, Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pelle while at Southampton, and Kieran Trippier, Dele Alli and Toby Alderweireld at Spurs. 

In Alli’s case in particular, he is said to have played a key role in convincing Pochettino to take a chance on the teenager, who came in from MK Dons.

Paul Mitchell is now at RB Leipzig having worked wonders at Southampton and Tottenham