MAN UNITED CONFIDENTIAL: John Murtough's departure has senior figures fearing the INEOS axe, but one former Liverpool staff member could be on his way IN… while injury plague claims Scott McTominay as its latest victim

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John Murtough's departure as Manchester United's football director will do little to quell the sense of uncertainty around the club as INEOS continue to ring the changes.

Staff are waiting to see how plans to install Dan Ashworth as director of football and Jason Wilcox as technical director will have on the rest of the set-up at Carrington with plenty of questions being asked around the training ground.

Murtough has been at United for 11 years, but his position became increasingly uncertain since INEOS made the approach for Ashworth. 

The 50-year-old was still at Carrington on Tuesday when the club announced that he has mutually agreed to step down.

His deputy Andy O'Boyle, chief transfer negotiator Matt Hargreaves, director of football operations David Harrison and academy head Nick Cox will run the leadership team for now, but a number of senior figures are said to be wondering how their roles could be impacted by the changes.

John Murtough (right), with manager Erik ten Hag, is to step down as director of football

Murtough (left) has been at United for 11 years but the arrival of INEOS has shaken things up

The arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe (right) and Sir Dave Brailsford has created uncertainty for staff

The air of uncertainty around United has coincided with an efficiency drive after INEOS tasked consultancy firm Interpath with driving down costs, a move that will inevitably lead to job cuts. 

Heads of department have already had their corporate credit cards withdrawn, and many administrative staff no longer have access to chauffeur driven private cars.

As Murtough prepared to make his exit, Hargreaves and head of recruitment operations Steve Brown were United's representatives at the TransferRoom summit in Rome.

The two-day event brought together 640 key figures in football from 90 leagues and 58 countries to network and discuss potential deals for the summer. 

It includes 15-minute 'speed dating' sessions which allow clubs to cut through the formalities and get straight down to transfer talks.

Prof feeds Carrington rumours

More change could be on the way at Carrington after news reached Confidential that nutrition expert Professor James Morton was a recent visitor to the training ground.

The former Liverpool performance nutritionist previously worked with INEOS sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford at Team Sky where he led the nutrition strategy as the team won the Tour de France four years in a row.

Brailsford is renowned for his marginal gains approach, and he has been busy fact-finding at Carrington for months looking at how United can improve in every department.

Manager Erik ten Hag has also been known to tap into the world of cycling for advice and information having spoken to members of Team Jumbo-Visma in the past.

McTominay out for up to three weeks

There's no end in sight to Manchester United's horrendous injury problems and now Scott McTominay has been ruled out of action for between two and three weeks.

Confidential understands that McTominay hyper-extended his knee in last week's defeat at Chelsea and that was the reason for his absence from Sunday's draw with Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Midfielder Scott McTominay has become the latest injury casualty with a knee problem

The injury means that McTominay – who has signed a new sponsorship deal with adidas – is a major doubt for the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City at Wembley a week on Sunday but should return for the Premier League run-in.

At least Casemiro was fit to face Liverpool after going off at Chelsea, and Erik ten Hag can also call on Kobbie Mainoo and Sofyan Amrabat in midfield as well as the seldom-seen Christian Eriksen whose Old Trafford career seems to be petering out.

On the other hand, United's problems in defence forced Ten Hag to play teenager Willy Kambwala alongside Harry Maguire on Sunday. 

The young Frenchman rose to the challenge and might need to do so again in the weeks ahead with Ten Hag unsure when Raphael Varane, Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof will be fit again. 

'I don't think at short notice they will return,' said the United boss.

There could be even more problems after Marcus Rashford came off with a knock, and it remains to be seen if he can play at Bournemouth on Saturday.

Young defender Willy Kambwala slotted in against Liverpool and may be required again

Ten Hag forced into 39 steps

The starting XI against Liverpool was the 39th different combination Ten Hag has picked in 43 matches in all competitions this season alone.

The back-four featuring Diogo Dalot, Maguire, Kambwala and Aaron Wan-Bissaka was one of the 28 different defences he has selected this term.

Incredibly, Kambwala's partnership with Maguire was the 12th different centre-back pairing Ten Hag has had to field this season.

In-form Onana gets a grip

Andre Onana impressed on Sunday with a number of eye-catching saves – but also for another very specific reason. 

The Cameroon goalkeeper was spotted lathering his gloves in Vaseline in a bid to gain extra grip, which left some fans perplexed.

Apparently, Vaseline helps soften the latex of the gloves and make it moist, giving goalkeepers grippy latex. 

Andre Onana applied vaseline to his gloves during Manchester United's draw with Liverpool

The Cameroonian keeper was also seen applying vaseline during the game against West Ham

On the back of that viral clip, Confidential understands that Onana is in talks with the company GloveGlu about a brand deal.

GloveGlu work closely with Rinat, Onana's glove supplier, and now they are looking to team up with the United shot-stopper so he uses their grip spray, rather than Vaseline, moving forward.

Onana is understood to be keen on teaming up but just in case he has any lingering doubts, a bottle has been sent to Carrington for him to trial … perhaps this weekend at Bournemouth.

Fans 'trolled' by fixture switches

The Premier League and broadcasters have been accused of 'trolling' United fans after they moved their match at Crystal Palace to a Monday night on a bank holiday.

The clash with Palace will be played at 8pm on May 6. 

It is the latest away game where United fans are unable to get home by train – the last service from Euston, 10 miles from at Selhurst Park, leaves around 10 minutes before full-time – and follows awkward trips to Brentford and Chelsea.

United have already had four Saturday night 8pm fixtures, the most of any club this season. All have been away from home.

The Manchester United Supporters' Trust has hit out at the scheduling of the Palace match and called for match-going fans to be considered when Premier League games are moved for TV coverage.

United fans have once again been inconvenienced by a game being switched to an 8pm start

'On the back of our fourth Saturday night 8pm away fixture of the season, it now feels like the football authorities and TV companies are trolling United fans with a bank holiday Monday evening kick-off time, away from home again,' a MUST spokesperson told Confidential.

'Once again, the needs of match-going fans seem to be the last thing anyone cares about.

'There needs to be a complete change of mindset from those who determine kick-off times, and fans needs to be brought into the decision-making process.'

Kobbie's playing it cool

Good to hear Kobbie Mainoo is just as relaxed before games as he is when he steps on the pitch for Manchester United and England.

Taking part in a Q&A before his superb goal in Sunday's 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Old Trafford, Mainoo discussed his pre-match routine and it seems just as laid-back as everything else about the teenage midfielder.

Kobbie Mainoo endeared himself further to United fans by scoring against Liverpool 

'I'm not very superstitious, so I just kind of do what happens,' said Mainoo. 'I have the same meal and that's about it. I have pesto, pasta and salmon but, other than that, I just kind of do what I do.

'It's not whether I'm not wearing the same underwear. I don't have a lucky pair of underpants or anything like that. I just try to prepare, listen to music.'

Harry's on a high

What a whirlwind 24 hours it proved to be for Harry Amass and his family.

On Sunday he was on the bench with the first team for the 2-2 draw with Liverpool, and on Monday he was the starting left wing-back for the Under-21s against Brighton, a match that ended 1-1.

Confidential headed down to Leigh Sports Village and sat just a few rows behind his mum Gemma and granddad Steven, who had come up from Essex for the weekend.

17-year-old Harry Amass was named on the United bench for Sunday's Liverpool showdown

The 17-year-old showed no signs of getting too big for his boots given he was first out for the warm-up and the last to depart. 

Plus, it was his whipped in cross which was inadvertently turned into Brighton's own net to give United the lead.

Key personnel such as Steve Higham, the head of academy football operations, kept a watchful eye over Amass and he would have been pacing nervously when the player went down in stoppage time after being caught late. 

He limped through to the finish but looked more comfortable as he walked out of the stadium.

Amass then played for the Under-21 side when they took on Brighton on Monday evening

Amass, who will be pushing to make the first-team squad again when United travel to Bournemouth on Saturday night, was a man in demand at the end with his autograph the top priority for those who braved the rain.

Travelling back to Essex with his family, he is set for a couple of days back home after what has been a life-changing weekend for the youngster.

Club shares Varane's fears

Raphael Varane's concerns about concussion did not escape the attention of an innovative club in Gibraltar with an association to United stretching back more than half a century.

Varane told L'Equipe last week that he played with concussion for France and has suffered the effects of head injuries at United this season, adding that he knows the full impact on his body may only become clear in later life.

'Even if it does not cause immediate trauma, we know that in the long term, repeated shocks are likely to have harmful effects,' said Varane, who tells his seven-year-old son not to head the ball. 

'Personally, I don't know if I will live to be 100, but I know that I have damaged my body.'

Manchester United defender Raphael Varane has admitted to playing in huge games while suffering the effects of concussion - and has pulled out of matches this season

Varane's comments were welcomed by Michael Anton Monsour, the owner of Manchester 62 FC, a Gibraltar National League club originally set up in 1962 by United fans who were given permission by Sir Matt Busby to name it Manchester United FC.

Monsour, an entrepreneur in senior living and memory care, bought the club in 2022 and wants to raise awareness of the dangers of concussion in football and links to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Last year, Manchester 62 became the first top-flight European club to have all 10 of its outfield players wear protective headbands to reduce the risk of head injury, and is currently the subject of a documentary More Than a Game.

Monsour said: 'Manchester 62 FC will continue to make it our foundational goal to address the concerns of Mr Varane and other players concerned with the effects of CTE.

'We still live in a time where the protection of a player's shin takes precedence over the protection of a player's brain, and even the most casual observer of the game must find some ethical discomfort in that current reality.'

Donny's not done yet

Donny van de Beek's frustrating career post-Ajax has continued during his loan spell with Eintracht Frankfurt, but Confidential understands the prospect of him remaining there is not off the table completely just yet.

Sources close to the Bundesliga side insist no decision has been made yet on whether to make Van de Beek's loan permanent and any such discussions have been placed on hold until the end of the campaign.

Donny van de Beek could yet secure a permanent move to Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt despite struggling for starts during his loan spell from Manchester United

The Dutchman has made just four starts in the Bundesliga, coming on in a further two matches and being left as an unused substitute in another six.

Frankfurt have £10.3m option-to-buy built into the loan and while there is some pessimism in United circles that that will be enacted, sources in Germany stressed that it is not already a foregone conclusion that he will return to England.

Bruno hits 50 in style

Bruno Fernandes' spectacular equaliser against Liverpool saw him become only the 14th player since Sir Alex Ferguson took over at Old Trafford in November 1986 to score at least 50 league goals for United.

The Portuguese reached the milestone in 154 Premier League appearances, just three days after scoring the equaliser against Chelsea in the 4-3 defeat at Stamford Bridge.

Bruno Fernandes netted from 50-yards out in Manchester United's clash with Liverpool

It was the United captain's 50th league goal for the club and came in spectacular fashion 

Having waited five months for a Premier League goal from open play – his last such contribution was the stoppage-time winner at Fulham on November 4 – Fernandes now has found the net twice in two games.

The other 13 players to score at least 50 league goals for United since Ferguson moved south from Aberdeen? Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Andy Cole, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Marcus Rashford, Eric Cantona, Anthony Martial, David Beckham, Mark Hughes and Brian McClair.