Matt Judge resigns as Manchester United director of football negotiations

Judge becomes latest departure in shake-up behind the scenes at Old Trafford

Manchester United’s home ground Old Trafford (Getty Images)

Matt Judge has stepped down as Manchester United’s director of football negotiations as part of a wider shake-up of recruitment operations at Old Trafford.

Judge, who is currently serving a notice period before departing later this year, has been responsible for transfer and contract negoations at United over the last eight years.

His departure after a decade of working at United is described as amicable and comes after a change in leadership, structure and approach led him to consider his future at the club.

Judge's exit follows those of chief scout Jim Lawlor and head of global scouting Marcel Bout, with football director John Murtough leading a restructuring of the club's recruitment processes.

Murtough has assumed leadership of United's recruitment in his role as football director, with support from the club's legal and recruitment teams.

Judge was appointed to conduct United's transfer and contract negotiations by former executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, who left the club in February of this year.

United are undergoing an overhaul behind the scenes and ended their long search for a new permanent manager last week by appointing Erik ten Hag to succeed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was dismissed last November.

Ralf Rangnick, who replaced Solskjaer on an interim basis, was announced as the new manager of the Austrian national team on Friday but is still expected to take up his two-year consultancy role at United beyond the end of this season.