Rio Ferdinand remained tight-lipped amid talk of a surprise return to Manchester United as sporting director. The Old Trafford giants are going through a background restructuring process, with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward looking to bring in a technical director having named Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as permanent manager. Woodward is understood to have spoken to ex-United defender Ferdinand as he looks to fill the role, but the exact intricacies of such conversations are unclear. Mike Phelan, Sir Alex Ferguson’s former right-hand man, has also been linked with the role after working as Solskjaer’s assistant since December. The 56-year-old has yet to sign a full-time deal at Old Trafford and has been working as sporting director of Central Coast Mariners, who are bottom of the A-League in Australia.

Source: Irish Examiner April 30, 2019 19:07 UTC