Woodward and his four failures

“I am very proud to have served United and it has been an honor to work for the largest soccer club in the world for the past 16 years“This is how Ed Woodward said goodbye to Manchester United in a statement published on the club's official website. Or rather he said goodbye, since it will not be until the end of the season when he will leave his position as executive vice president and will definitively leave the Red Devils.

While Woodward speaks of 16 years, It was not until 2013 when he began to hold a position of importance in the entity and little by little he gained command in the square, being the head of the club in terms of signings. In recent years Matt Judge and John Murtough have been gaining importance, removing responsibilities in the market from the former banker, but they have been his past decisions in this field which have been eroding the trust that the Mancunian fans professed in him. Thus, the Mirror points out four great failures that have weighed down the noble part of Old Trafford: Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Gareth Bale and Thomas Müller.

A return that never occurred

“I love Manchester United. Everyone knows it. It is in my heart. The fans are incredible and I hope to be able to return one day,” Cristiano said in 2014. At that time there was no doubt about his continuity at Real Madrid, where he was immersed in his battle with history and with Messi. However, the Portuguese was the first great dream of Woodward, who always wanted to seal the return ticket that was left open in 2009. When CR7 packed his bags to leave the Bernabéu, Turin was his destination …

Yearning frustrated by Tottenham

Maybe The one who has been closest of the four stars slipped into donning United's elastic has been Gareth Bale. Mourinho loved him when he sat on the bench red devil, but Madrid renewed him to make him, a prior, the heir to Ronaldo. The bet, as we know, did not go well and He was losing weight in the white squad until this summer his departure became an obligation. The Welshman had to choose between Tottenham and United and sentimentality led him to London, Woodward again losing the opportunity to seize him.

2017, double puncture

Temporality makes Müller and Neymar share a paragraph, since it was in the summer of 2017 when the Red Devils showed interest in them. The German midfielder, however, was loyal to Bayern Munich, where he continues to hold the chair (although he has recently questioned his continuity: “I'm not tied to the club”) and aging like a good Rioja. While the Brazilian opted for PSG, the biggest transfer in the history of football through, and is close to renewing his contract with the Parisians.

None came, and neither did Jadon Sancho last summer or Erling Haaland on several occasions. These last two put this coming window back into action, as Borussia Dortmund's economic situation is far from buoyant. However, if they finally landed at Old Trafford, the medal could not be awarded to a Woodward that you will already be focused on other tasks.