Man Utd reform recruitment after Ratcliffe's criticism

Manchester United are undertaking a major overhaul of their scouting system - one of the most criticised weaknesses at Old Trafford in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Sancho is one of MU's failed deals.

According to the Telegraph , Man United have teamed up with Sportsology Group - a strategic sports consultancy - to recruit senior staff, including a senior head of scouting and team leaders in charge of identifying talent in each strategic area. The new positions will report directly to Christopher Vivell, who is the head of the club's scouting system.

This change could lead to the departure of Simon Wells - one of the veteran scouts who has been with Man Utd since Sir Alex, and who returned to work under Ole Gunnar Solskjær. This is considered a decisive move to "change the blood" of the entire scouting operation, which has been considered outdated and ineffective for more than a decade.

Man United spent hundreds of millions of pounds to recruit stars such as Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku, Jadon Sancho, Antony, Casemiro and more recently Rasmus Højlund and Mason Mount. However, most of them failed to meet expectations.

Pogba left the club on a free, Lukaku was sold at a loss, while Sancho and Antony are being asked to find new destinations. Højlund has struggled to adapt, and Mount has been plagued by injuries.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who took over football at Man Utd, did not hesitate to publicly criticize: “The club’s player data and analysis are operating as if they were in the last century.” It was from this perspective that he ordered a comprehensive restructuring to improve the team’s scouting system.

In the summer of 2025, MU recruited Matheus Cunha from Wolves.

Aside from the internal changes, Man Utd are still active in the transfer market. After signing Matheus Cunha from Wolves, the team is closely monitoring Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo - a player who is said to want to join Old Trafford, although the two parties have not yet agreed on a fee.

The Sportsology Group, which is tasked with finding the new manager, is run by former Chelsea technical director Mike Forde, who has extensive experience in sports and business and is committed to helping the club overcome its “biggest challenges” through its global network of advisers.

In a related development, Stephen Brown - former director of scouting at Man Utd - confirmed on LinkedIn that he was leaving the position after many years of association. Brown also said that more analysts and scouts would leave the club in the near future.

“If clubs are looking for highly skilled, dedicated and knowledgeable players, this is a great opportunity,” Brown said, implicitly confirming the quality of the team about to leave Old Trafford.

With strategic changes, Man Utd is showing its determination to comprehensively rebuild, not only on the field but also in the way it operates behind the scenes - a prerequisite if the "Red Devils" want to truly return to the top.

Source: https://znews.vn/man-utd-cai-to-tuyen-trach-sau-loi-che-cua-ratcliffe-post1567425.html