Michael Edwards: who is former Liverpool sporting director and is he joining Man Utd? Age and net worth

Michael Edwards is reportedly close to joining Liverpool’s fierce rivals Manchester United as its sporting director. The 43-year-old left his role at Anfield in the summer after a successful six year stint at the club.

Reds fans, who will be hoping that this is not the case, will remember Edwards for being the brains behind the club’s recent player recruitment. Decisions that helped Jurgen Klopp mould a Liverpool team that went on to claim a UEFA Champions League title and a Premier League triumph.

The Southampton-born chief famously sanctioned deals to bring the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Alison, Mohammed Salah and Fabinho to Anfield. As well as helping the club balance the books when it comes to selling players to other clubs.

Renowned examples include Liverpool’s then-promising forward Rhian Brewster, who Edwards sanctioned an exit to Sheffield United for an astounding £23.5 million. The sporting director also helped the likes of Dominic Solanke, Jordan Ibe and Ryan Kent leave through the Shankly Gates at a combined total of £41.76 million alone.

So who is Liverpool FC’s former sporting director Michael Edwards and is he going to be joining Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United side? Here is everything you need to know.

Who is Michael Edwards and what was his role at Liverpool?

Michael Edwards is 43-years-old and was born in Southampton, on the south coast of England. He is renowned for his role as sporting director at Premier League outfit Liverpool, which he held from 2016 until 2022.

In what many regard as one of football’s elite sporting directors, Edwards worked very closely with Fenway Sports Group (FSG) who have owned Liverpool Football Club for 11 years. His prime responsibility involved mainly the overseeing of all football development. This included player recruitment and the selling of footballers, helping the club manage its balance sheet. He also took a responsibility for managing

When Edwards initially joined the Reds in 2011, he was the club’s head of analytics. He was then promoted to various other roles over his time until 2016, including director of technical performance and technical director.

Is Michael Edwards joining Manchester United and when will he join?

According to various sources, Manchester United are in deep negotiations to appoint Michael Edwards as its sporting director. Football Insider has reported that the higher ups at Old Trafford have made him a “huge offer”.

It is reported that the Red Devils see Edwards as their first choice to oversee Man Utd’s football development and transfer business as a way to make up for the club’s past mistakes.

If Michael Edwards was to accept an offer from the Manchester club, reports suggest that there is ‘no chance’ he would join right away as the 43-year-old is currently on sabbatical following his departure from Liverpool this summer. Manchester United are said to be willing to wait until next summer to formally appoint him as its sporting director.

Chelsea were also said to have been keen admirers of Edwards and are definitely still in the race to try and bring him to Stamford Bridge. The London club recently secured former Manchester City and Southampton man Joe Shields as their director of recruitment.