John Murtough is a studious character who, for the most part, has liked operating in the shadows.

Public interviews have not been his style - you have to dig deep in the archives to find a 2019 chat with commercial partner Gulf Oil totalling 144 seconds - while photos of him in Manchester United attire didn't surface until an unveiling image in 2021 when he became director of football.

At Burnley earlier in the season he shuffled his feet and waited patiently by the tunnel to pick the bones out of United's 1-0 win at Turf Moor with boss Erik ten Hag. There was, truth be told, little fuss around one of the main shot-callers at Manchester United.

'The Fixer' was the nickname affixed to him by some staff at Carrington. From when he joined the academy set-up in 2013 through to his decision to step down later this week, he had a knack of getting things done.

Take United's transfer dealings during the Covid-19 pandemic as a case-in-point.

John Murtough was a private figure at Manchester United who rarely spoke in interviews  

Murtough flew out to Bergamo in Italy to grease the wheels to bring Amad Diallo from Atalanta to Old Trafford.

It was a key trip at a difficult time and Murtough, sources explained, would go on to see out his two-week quarantine holed up in his garage, which doubled as his office, at home.

He went on to be key to the appointment of Erik ten Hag, too, and deservedly drew praise for the Dutchman's first season which delivered a Carabao Cup, a third-placed finish in the Premier League and an FA Cup final appearance. The growth of the women's team and ascension of the academy are two positives credited to his tenure.

But there are no hiding places at United, no shadows in which to mask shortcomings in. Not when Ineos walked into United with a bright bulb flashlight to scrutinise every inch of the football operation.

He leaves as a figurehead of United's recent demise; a chaotic recruitment strategy that has seen £518million spent on his watch as director of football, leaving a team left on the pitch that lacks both an identity and the sufficient talent to win the biggest trophies.

Murtough grew up a Manchester United fan and held a membership for the club in his teenage years.

The 53-year-old, who was born in Longsight, Manchester, and went to school in Cheetham Hill and Gorton, has always been around football and broke into football administration in 1997 with Everton after completing a Master's in sports psychology at Liverpool John Moores University.

Spells at Fulham and Coventry City followed - due to his great relationship with manager at the time, Chris Coleman - before he returned to Everton.

In 2012 he took on a job with the Premier League before joining Manchester United in late 2013 after being hand-picked and recommended by David Moyes.

What started out as an academy role soon escalated as he become more diligent in easing the workload on those above him. His power and influence grew quickly.

His reports, and the detail which was in them, drew plaudits internally and CEO Ed Woodward did not hesitate to promote Murtough to be the club's first director of football in 2021 despite surprise externally following an extensive three-year search which surveyed some of the most experienced directors in world football.

It has since been claimed that interest from Inter Miami provided leverage for Murtough, with Mike Forde, a consultant then used by David Beckham and a former study partner at John Moores of Murtough, keen to bring him to MLS.

Murtough took the reins on transfer business and recruitment strategy and while agents spoke to him being a nice guy and pleasant to deal with, some key internal figures took issue with him over the years.

In 2019, Nicky Butt was furious with Murtough when he was replaced as head of the academy by Nick Cox.

Murtough and Butt had what sources described as a heated exchange in the canteen at Carrington, leading to Cox taking over from Butt and Butt taking on a newly-created role focused on first-team development. The pair's relationship was never repaired.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the club's legendary manager, was also no fan of Murtough.

Ferguson is said to have been specifically unimpressed with Murtough during Jude Bellingham's tour of Carrington, with United on the charm offensive to land the now-Real Madrid superstar.

Ferguson was on hand to greet Bellingham and his parents but it is claimed that the Scot was less than impressed when Murtough escorted the Bellingham camp out of a meeting to show them around Carrington.

Those close to Murtough have since suggested it was more of a misunderstanding and not a slight on Ferguson as may have initially been interpreted.

Crucially, when Woodward gave him the leg up in 2021 to become the club's inaugural director of football, he took control of transfer policy alongside, first Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and now Erik ten Hag.

United were keen to praise Murtough for his role in the £55m acquisition of Mason Mount last summer, while only last month he was filmed out in Barcelona with director of football negotiations Matt Hargreaves.

The £1.3billion minority takeover of United by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos immediately put Murtough's feet over the fire.

While sources indicated to Mail Sport that there was an expectation Murtough could stay on in a lesser role, there has long been a growing feeling that United's recruitment and scouting operations would be gutted and remodelled as part of an overhaul.

Dan Ashworth is their primary target to become the new director of football, while Southampton's director of football Jason Wilcox is a top target to be technical director.

United have already made a formal offer to meet Wilcox's release clause - covering 12 months of his salary - but the Championship promotion contenders are said to be seeking more. United sources are hopeful Wilcox will be in place ready for the summer transfer window.

Omar Berrada, like Ashworth he too is currently observing a period of gardening leave, is coming in as CEO and Sir Dave Brailsford will assume a key role as part of a newly-built structure.

Ratcliffe is acutely aware of how much work is needed to turn United from the ailing team they are right now, with the likelihood of no Champions League football next season, to title contenders once more.

Speaking recently to Geraint Thomas on his Cycling Club podcast, Ratcliffe went into detail over the magnitude of the task he has in front of him, as he opened up on Ineos' plans with the club.

He said: 'It's not a light switch, it's a much longer road to travel because there are so many aspects of that club and game you need to get right.'

Ratcliffe, who did not speak directly of Murtough, who has continued to be a presence at matches and in meetings planning for next season, went on to say that incoming chief executive Berrada will become a 'big part of the trio' consisting of himself and Brailsford when he starts his new role at Old Trafford - and play a key role in helping them try and turn their fortunes around.

He said: 'There's a group of us that are involved but the two people who are most focused on it will be Dave and myself in terms of how we resolve it all.

Everything that has emerged since Ratcliffe's arrival all left Murtough as the odd one out and while he ate dinner as normal at Carrington on Tuesday afternoon, he did so in the knowledge that after a decade at United, the time was now for a new challenge.