..it’s a really good point about recruiting players who still have a hunger to succeed. Back in the day, I think it was Kendall who said “I’m not looking for £1m players, i’m looking for footballers who want to be £1m players”.
I do think, though, that you have to be careful with certain ‘rejects’. For example, a player who moves to Man City for major money and then sits on the bench for a couple of seasons can often lose that hunger for the game because they’re in a comfort zone. A proper DoF will know the players with the right attitude.
Take Schneiderlin, seemed like a player who would still have a hunger etc, look into it a bit more after the event, a big selling point form us was that his then gf/now wife was wanting to stay in Manchester etc, when a player chooses a main reason to go the club is the comfort of not having to move, stay local, and ultimately make life a bit easier for his family, then strange though it sounds it probably reflects that he hasn't got the hunger you'd want in a player anymore.
Would a 22 year old Schneiderlin be arsed about choosing a club for that reason for example? or would he be looking to find a club/country that would progress his career best.
age isn't the only thing that dulls that though, look at Milner or Barry - both i would describe as being massively hungry players when they both left city, because thats the nature of them.
as you said a proper and good DoF should know these things about the players personality, and arguably should kind of have a clue about whats going on in their life and if the footy has kind of taken on a back seat to life as it where...
Take Shaw for example, not one of us could say honestly if he'd be a great buy or an absolutely woeful one, because ultimately the skill is there, the potential is there, and if he leaves United with a point to prove to those writing him off, he could be brilliant, but it could turn out that Mourinho is 100% right and he doesn't have the right attitude and the player himself knows it and just wants to go somewhere with less pressure, no expectation in comparison and pick-up a pay check.
Key thing in clubs that progress or regress is getting those choices right, and something that the bloke who was at Sevila and is now at Roma - Monchi - has seemed to make very shrewd decisions on players in the past/present - Banega being a classic example of getting it right.