Man Utd fans fury as sporting director who signed £64m flop Hojlund joins Atalanta

Manchester United fans are fuming at pictures of former sporting director John Murtough landing a new role at Atalanta from where he signed flop Rasmus Hojlund for an astronomical £64 million.

The 54-year-old, axed by United in April 2024 after 11 years, was named Atalanta’s director of global development on Tuesday, sparking a wave of conspiracy theories and fury among the Red Devils faithful.

Murtough’s tenure as United’s football director, starting in March 2021, is remembered for a string of questionable transfers, none more divisive than Højlund’s 2023 signing from Atalanta.

United paid £64m upfront—potentially rising to £72m with add-ons—for the then-20-year-old Dane, who’s since struggled for goals including a 21-game drought this season (MEN).

With Højlund now linked to a £52m exit to Juventus, fans see Murtough’s Atalanta gig as suspicious.

“This has to be some sort of money laundering scam for Hojlund that he had planned before ,” posted @RonnyRealm on X, capturing the mood.

Another fan wrote: “Gave him the job after he helped them get 75 million Euros from Manchester United for a player that can’t trap a ball.”

The sentiment is clear—supporters believe Atalanta rewarded Murtough for inflating Højlund’s fee, a deal that’s left United with a misfiring striker and PSR headaches (Web ID 8).

Murtough’s fingerprints are also on the £37m Amad Diallo transfer from Atalanta in 2021, another move that’s yet to fully pay off, with Diallo sidelined by injury since February (MEN).

His 11-year stint at United, starting under David Moyes in 2013, saw over £900m spent on transfers, with flops like Antony (£85m, now at Real Betis) and Jadon Sancho (£73m, Chelsea-bound) fueling fan distrust (Mirror).

“Murtough’s recruitment set us back years,” tweeted @UtdFaithfuls. “Atalanta hiring him is a joke.”

United’s 4-1 loss to Newcastle on Sunday—where Altay Bayindir flopped in place of Andre Onana—hasn’t helped the mood, with fans pointing to Murtough’s era as the root of their 14th-place slump (Guardian).

Tonight’s Europa League second leg against Lyon is a must-win, but the Murtough news has reignited old wounds. “He’s laughing all the way to Bergamo,” posted @RedDevilRant, while @MUFC_Tom quipped, “Højlund deal was Murtough’s golden handshake.”

Atalanta’s announcement, praising Murtough’s “experience,” glossed over his United exit, which came after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS overhaul (ESPN).

The Serie A club’s links to United—via Højlund and Diallo—only deepen the skepticism. As Ruben Amorim fights to salvage the season, fans are left fuming over a deal they see as a scam. “Murtough’s legacy,” one X user summed up, “is a squad that can’t score and a bank account that’s bleeding.”