Manchester United are set to make an official approach for Crystal Palace’s sporting director, Dougie Freedman, with the former Scotland striker lined up by Ineos to take over as the head of recruitment.
Freedman, who had a successful spell as Palace’s manager before returning as sporting director in 2017, is understood to have been identified as the ideal candidate to work within the structure being put in place by Sir Jim Ratcliffe at United. The 49-year-old has earned plaudits for his ability to spot emerging talent in the Championship and beyond, having been instrumental in Palace signing Marc Guéhi, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, among others.
He is believed to be open to moving to United despite his strong relationship with the Palace chairman, Steve Parish. Freedman’s family are understood to still live in the Manchester area. It is unclear whether Palace would demand compensation for their former player.
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United are understood to be keen to make a swift appointment given that their chief executive, Omar Berrada, and prospective technical director, Dan Ashworth, are on gardening leave. United have privately denied interest in Freedman but an official approach is expected in the coming days.
Freedman, who is also believed to have worked closely with Palace’s biggest shareholder, John Textor, in establishing Textor’s Eagle Football network that includes the French club Lyon, was heavily involved in the appointment of Oliver Glasner to replace Roy Hodgson last month and would be a major loss for Parish. The Palace chairman denied reports in November that United had contacted him over Freedman but said “the fact he’s being linked with clubs like that show he’s doing the right thing”.
Freedman, who had two successful spells at Palace as a player and scored the last-minute goal that prevented them from being relegated to the Second Division in 2001, stepped in as caretaker manager to again save the club from relegation in 2011. But a year later, in controversial fashion, he left Selhurst Park for Bolton Wanderers, with Palace still in contention for promotion – a decision he has said he has always regretted.
“I knew I made the wrong decision very quickly into my Bolton career, but it was a decision I made and regrettably it was the wrong decision,” he said. “Looking back of course I wouldn’t have went, I would have stayed here and we would have had promotion [together] and it is probably one of the things that drives me on now. To make up for that disappointing decision I made.”
• This article was amended on 6 March 2024. Bolton Wanderers were in the Championship when Dougie Freedman arrived as manager, not the Premier League as an earlier version said. Also, in 2001 the third tier of English football was called the Second Division, not League Two.
