United are battling to stay ahead of West Ham, Arsenal and Tottenham in the tight race to qualify for next season’s Champions League, while continuing to chase silverware in this season’s competition.
Murtough said a top-four finish was “not the ultimate objective for Manchester United, and everyone at the club is focused on challenging for the top trophies”.
United’s football director said a “thorough process” is under way to search for a new permanent manager, who will take charge this summer “with the objective to get us back to challenging for those domestic and European titles”.
Murtough was due to deliver the prepared remarks to analysts and investors later after United announced a seven per cent increase in second-quarter revenues as operations gradually return to normal following the pandemic.