Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is trying to bring back ‘the real Manchester United’ says Jordi Cruyff
- Dutchman says his former club ‘have tried everything – the best coaches and players’
- United have ‘retained some magic’ despite struggles because of their history and fan base
Jordi Cruyff is a man in demand. It was reported by people in the know at Camp Nou that he was offered the job as Barcelona’s sporting director in 2017 and 2018. Both times he said no to the club where he started his professional career and his father, Johan, was a star as player and manager.
Cruyff, 44, will bide his time and he knows there are other clubs interested in acquiring his services as their sporting director, including major ones in England.
They know he’s smart, multilingual and respected with a long contacts list. Not that he does convention and a predictable career path. Never has. Nor have his family.
In 1974, Cruyff was the first person to legally be given the name Jordi in Catalonia at a time when Catalan names were banned by the Franco regime. Johan was threatened, but said that as his son was born in Amsterdam he could call him what he liked.