https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48299387'The coach nowadays needs a structure'
In the immediate aftermath of Mourinho's dismissal, officials at United made it known they would be addressing the appointment of a technical director as a priority. The idea was to have someone in place before a successor was appointed.
Eight weeks after Solskjaer was named permanent manager, the rough timeline to an appointment has been pushed back to the start of next season. Yet there is still no obvious sign United have a clear idea of the precise parameters of the role, let alone who they want to appoint.
Former players Rio Ferdinand and Darren Fletcher have both held discussions. Champions League-winning skipper Peter Schmeichel has put his name forward. Solskjaer's assistant Mike Phelan, previously sporting director at Australian outfit Central Coast Mariners, has also been linked with the job.
But do any of that quartet have the depth of knowledge across the European and South American game in particular required to be a success? How much are they aware of young players at United, let alone across the game as a whole? What are their contacts with agents like? Their negotiating skills? Their view of Solskjaer as a manager?
In his revealing interview with the BBC in March, former United manager Louis van Gaal said the structure was not the issue at Old Trafford, but the personnel filling the roles.
United's head of corporate development, Matt Judge, who like Woodward graduated from Bristol University, brokers the club's transfer deals and negotiates contracts.
On beIN Sports in January, Mourinho said: "The coach nowadays needs a structure. He needs a club organised in a certain way. The club must have an owner or a president, a CEO or executive director, a football director and then the manager. This is the structure that can cope with all the problems modernity is bringing all of us."
A technical director can come in many forms and, as United are aware, there is a delicate balance to be struck as relationships can quickly become fraught if differences of opinion, particularly with the manager, become apparent.
However, after another disappointing season when so many big names have failed to justify their price tag or reputation and the manner in which new contracts are handed out, or not, appears haphazard, the issue at United appears to be structural.