O'Boyle appointed Deputy Football Director at Manchester United
O'Boyle is a lifelong United fan
Written by Training Ground Guru — May 31, 2022
ANDY O’BOYLE has been appointed to the new position of Deputy Football Director at Manchester United.
The Old Trafford club said the Northern Irishman would provide support to Football Director John Murtough “in driving the club’s football strategy across the first team, Academy and women’s team.”
The lifelong United fan joins from the Premier League, where he has been Head of Elite Performance since April 2017. That job involved advising clubs on talent identification and recruitment, sports science and medicine, psychology, performance analysis and loans.
Prior to that he worked for Liverpool for six years, first as Head of Elite Fitness, then as first-team fitness coach from October 2015. He also acted up as Head of Fitness and Conditioning for four months following the sudden departure of Ryland Morgans from the club in 2016, before Jurgen Klopp brought in Andreas Kommayer from Bayern Munich to take the role on a permanent basis.
O’Boyle was born in Ballymena and grew up on his family's farm in County Antrim. He went to Liverpool University and also won a football scholarship to Rhode Island in the US. His first job in football was with the youth teams at Wrexham and he soon progressed to first-team duties with the Welsh club.
He worked for a brief period as a coach at Manchester United’s Academy and was offered a permanent position at the club in 2008, but instead opted to become Head of Sports Science at Coventry City.
A role with the Football Association, as Under-21 physical performance coach, followed, before he made the move to Anfield in 2011.
O’Boyle is highly qualified, holding a Masters in Sports Science while also working towards a doctorate and the Uefa Pro Licence. He will graduate on the Pro Licence course with the English FA in Manchester next month.
Murtough said: “We are delighted to welcome Andy back to Manchester United to take up this important role in the club’s leadership. Andy has experience across all technical areas of football, from fitness and sports science to scouting and recruitment.
“This will make him a valuable addition to my team at Carrington as we continue to strengthen leadership and strategic planning across all our football activities.”
O’Boyle added: “I am thrilled to be rejoining Manchester United at such an exciting time for the club, as the first team prepares for a fresh start under Erik ten Hag, and the Academy and women’s teams go from strength to strength.”
United have undergone a significant restructure behind the scenes in recent months. Murtough, who leads the whole football department at the club, has become an increasingly dominant and visible presence. O’Boyle’s arrival will allow him to focus increasingly on first-team affairs and recruitment.
Dominic Jordan took up his role as Director of Data Science in March, while Director of Football Negotiations Matt Judge and United’s two most senior scouts, Jim Lawlor and Marcel Bout, have departed.
And, perhaps most significantly of all, Ten Hag has arrived from Ajax as the club’s new manager, with Steve McClaren and Mitchell van der Gaag as his assistants.
The club yesterday confirmed that Ralf Rangnick would not be continuing as a football consultant at the club as had initially been planned, with any official ties with United now severed.
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