Manchester United looking to move out of ‘last century’ with major recruitment revamp

In terms of being a potential differentiator, scouting and recruitment are more important than ever for clubs in the Premier League.

Manchester United finished in the lower reaches of the Premier League and spurned a last-minute chance to rescue their season in the Europa League final but their stature and ambition remain.

The Red Devils have made a series of transfer blunders in recent years and the club’s recruitment record has been criticised by minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who described United’s data analysis as ‘last century’ almost as soon as INEOS got a proper look under the bonnet.

‘There may be continued exits’

United have put both their clout and their clumsiness on display in the current transfer window, capturing Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Matheus Cunha quickly, but for a fee that appears to be the biggest obstacle in their pursuit of Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo.

Ratcliffe has made no secret of the need for change behind the scenes and the scouting department has been one of the key areas where improvement is required.

Ratcliffe’s stewardship has itself been subject to criticism since he took over the club’s football operations but the evidence on the pitch speaks for itself.

The Telegraph reports that United’s recruitment revamp is underway and sports intelligence consultancy Sportsology Group is hunting for a new head of senior recruitment as well as senior emerging talent scouts, all of whom will work under head of recruitment Christopher Vivell.

“Changes at the club may see senior scout [Simon] Wells leave his role,” writes Mike McGrath.

“Wells worked during the [Alex] Ferguson era of the club, starting as an analyst, and returned to the recruitment department under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.”

McGrath reports that Man United’s director of scouting, Stephen Brown, has confirmed his own departure in a post on the social media platform LinkedIn.

“As the next few weeks unfold, there may be continued exits of scouts and recruitment analysts from the scouting department at Manchester United,” revealed Brown.

United will embark on what needs to be a restorative 2025-26 season having reiterated their backing for head coach Ruben Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag in the middle of last season.

They’re struggling to move Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia out of the club, while Amorim’s squad also includes a noteworthy rump of expensive signings who’ve failed to live up to expectations at Old Trafford.

Mason Mount, Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee and Andre Onana might yet prove their worth but are just as likely to stand as monuments to United’s apparently archaic recruitment processes.