'He's a fantastic guy': Oliver Glasner responds to Dougie Freedman's links to Man United move from Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner believes Dougie Freedman's links to Manchester United are a testament to his quality.
talkSPORT understands that United I want to hire the Eagles' athletic director as their new recruiting chief.
Freedman, a former Scotland international, has served in Palace since 2017 and was key with the main recent signings.
The former striker secured deals for Michael Olise and Marc Guehi, as well as the loan of Conor Gallagher in the 2021/22 season.
As a result, United They have set their sights on signing him at Old Trafford and Glasner had nothing but praise for the transfer boss.
Asked about Freedman's ties to the Theater of Dreams, he said: “This shows me what I was thinking: here (at Palace) there is a great sporting director and a great person.
“That's how I see Dougie after two weeks and many conversations with him. He knows all the players from all over the world. He's a fantastic guy. He's a great person and a sporting director.”
Despite the links, Glasner hopes to work with Freedman at Palace in the immediate future, as he commented: “If these rumors exist, it shows that other clubs see him the same way. I don't know if it's true or not.
“We're not talking about the squad for next year, I want to get to know the players who are here.
“There are injured players that I have never seen in training. We will start (planning the squad) next week.
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“The feeling I have is that we will plan together the squad for next year and we will work together for a long time. But three weeks ago I was not here.”
Freedman is seen as an ideal candidate for United's new structure by the club's minority owners, INEOS, led by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Amid delays in signing Dan Ashworth and Omar Berrada from Newcastle and Manchester City respectively, the Premier League giants are hoping to fill the role quickly.
Former Palace owner and talkSPORT's Simon Jordan previously gave his backing to Freedman given his success in south London, as he stated: “Dougie is a good thinker and a good talent spotter, he's also a good negotiator.
“I have known Dougie for 24 or 25 years, I hired him at Palace in 2000, he was very, very friendly to my late father and someone I am very fond of.
“I also know he is very capable in the position he is in. “I think he had a good period of time when he managed Palace and I think the team he got promoted in 2013 was apparently his team.
“People like Yannick Bolasie and (Mile) Jedinak were players he recruited and Ian Holloway got the benefit of being able to recruit them.
“He went to Bolton, I advised him not to go to Bolton because I thought Bolton was an unstable environment for him, they just got relegated, but he wanted to do it.
“He went to (Nottingham) Forest, I don't think management was his thing. I think the space he's in now, where he can think clearly and look at things objectively and make decisions based on recruiting players, is Great space for Dougie.
“I wouldn't be surprised… It's not my gift to be confident, but regardless, I think it's a good fit. I think it's a fit that could clearly happen.”
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“I think they're building, people will look at it and say, 'Crystal Palace and Man United?' Well, you could argue that about Dan Ashworth with West Bromwich Albion, Brighton, Newcastle and now Man United.
“It's not about your journey, it's about what you will do while you are on that journey and what you are effective at (at)
“I think a lot of the players that Palace have recruited, (Eberechi) Eze and other players like that, are players that Dougie has been putting his hat on.”
And he added: “He works well in a team, he is a very intelligent operator, he is not controversial, he does not get angry with people and you will not hear him courting the media.”
