Robbie Fowler has given a damning verdict of Manchester United Vice-executive chairman Ed Woodward, questioning whether he is up to the job.
This comes after Mauricio Pochettino was spotted in close proximity to Woodward’s new public relations man Neil Ashton, formerly of the Sun newspaper, at Brentford v Leeds on Tuesday night.
The news prompted quite a stir on social media and it certainly begs the question over why they were in each other’s company.
Pochettino, who has been out of work since being sacked by Tottenham in November, has been tipped by many to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as United manager when the Norwegian is eventually relieved of his duties.
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Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler was baffled that Ashton and Pochettino were seen together given the rumours and the pressure on Solskjaer’s job.
Fowler thinks Woodward is continuing to do Solskjaer a disservice by putting more pressure on the current boss.
“Ed Woodward isn’t doing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer any favours,” he wrote in his Mirror column.
“For all the briefings coming out of Manchester United that they are going to stick by their manager as he attempts to rebuild the team, a single picture really can say a thousand words.
“And the image of Woodward’s new PR man striding alongside Mauricio Pochettino … was pretty damning. Pochettino was probably there to lend his support to Marcelo Bielsa. But why the hell was Woodward’s new PR man accompanying him?
“There might have been a simple explanation. And if I was in Ole’s shoes I would have been knocking on the door of my chief executive to discover just what it was first thing on Thursday morning.
“Even if the meeting was innocent, the sight of a United employee alongside an elite manager who just happens to be on the job market was not a good look.
“Solskjaer deserves a full and frank explanation why his boss’ new PR guru was in the company of a man who is being touted to replace him.
“And if a certain Argentine does walk into Old Trafford as the new manager in the summer then more questions need to be asked whether Mr Woodward is a little too naïve to be Manchester United’s king-maker.”
We fully agree with Fowler that Woodward’s naivety has been laid bare far too often in his role at the club.
Regardless of the context, it does not look good that his new PR man and the leading candidate to replace Solskjaer were in each other’s company.
Video: Neil Ashton and Mauricio Pochettino spotted together at Griffin Park for Brentford vs Leeds #mulive [sky] pic.twitter.com/KYR7fW8Yd1
— utdreport (@utdreport) February 11, 2020
