Dougie Freedman hasn’t held a managerial position since leaving Nottingham Forest in 2016. Now, he could be in line for a surprise move to work for Manchester United.
Freedman has gone down an alternative route to management after leaving Forest. He’s been at Crystal Palace as the Sporting Director since 2017, serving the Eagles with distinction.
The 49-year-old deserves some credit for how he handled himself at Forest. He managed the club amid a transfer embargo and he managed to steady the ship against a backdrop of boardroom mismanagement.
Freedman set for key role in Manchester United reshuffle
Palace are an established Premier League club and one reason for that is the great work that Freedman has done. He’s overseen some really shrewd signings and his mantra of signing young players with significant resale value has seen him claim plaudits.
Forest saw that aspect of Freedman when he was a manager. He was tasked with assembling a squad with next to no money and oversaw some shrewd signings when the club offloaded Michail Antonio to West Ham.
Now, the likeable man who played for Forest during his playing days could be set for a big role at Manchester United, according to The Mirror. Prospective new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to hand Freedman a role should he take over the club.
Freedman set for golden egg position after Forest exit
When he left Forest in 2016, very few supporters will have seen this coming. However, he’s rediscovered himself since walking away from management and his work as a sporting director is up there with the best in the Premier League.
United have been all over the place during 2023/24. They need a complete overhaul and clearly, Ratcliffe thinks Freedman is someone who can help on the recruitment side of things.
Forest will be watching Freedman with intrigue during his next step. Although his days working at the City Ground are long gone, it will now be fascinating to see if he can revive United.
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