John Murtough blamed for Man Utd's failure to land two huge transfers

Manchester United director of football John Murtough has reportedly received criticism for failing to bring several high-profile transfer targets to the club in recent years.

Murtough has been at the club since 2013 but was promoted to his current position in 2021 in preparation for chief executive Ed Woodward's departure.

Since then, United have made several disappointing big-money signings, including Jadon Sancho and Antony.

The two wingers cost £73 million and £86 million, with Sancho lined up for a January exit after falling out with Erik ten Hag.

Casemiro's £60 million transfer has been called into question too, with the 30-year-old on a whopping £350,000-per-week with limited resale value.

Per The Athletic, Murtough had been tasked with bringing some of England's best players to Old Trafford and failed to get deals over the line.

Securing Jude Bellingham's signature this summer was always going to be a tricky task, and he always seemed destined to play for Real Madrid.

That still hasn't stopped several people involved in the process claiming Murtough did a poor job of selling the prospect of being a United player to the 20-year-old.

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Ten Hag's dream transfer target over the summer was Harry Kane, who was ready to leave Tottenham Hotspur. The feeling at United was they didn't want to be locked in intense negotiations with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

Kane was, in theory, available last year, and it's a position United have needed depth in for some time.

Cristiano Ronaldo's abrupt departure during the World Cup break saw United dip into the loan market in January, signing Wout Weghorst on a short-term loan from Burnley. He scored two goals during his time in Manchester.

England captain Kane opted to move overseas and join Bayern Munich, for whom he's scored 19 goals in 15 games this term.

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Knowing they needed a striker, United paid £64 million for 20-year-old Rasmus Hojlund, a fee which could rise to £72 million with performance-related add-ons.

It's put pressure on the youngster, who is yet to score in the Premier League despite netting five in four Champions League appearances.

United are currently eighth in the Premier League and return to action against Luton Town on Saturday evening.