BILBAO, SPAIN - MAY 21: Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks on during the UEFA Europa League Final 2025 between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Estadio San Mames on May 21, 2025 in Bilbao, Spain. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Sir Jim Ratcliffe knows that Manchester United is playing catch-up
Manchester United have dramatically reduced the size of their scouting network in a bid to put an end to years of bad transfer business. The Red Devils have spent an astonishing £1.6billion on players since retired in 2013, the last time they won the title.
Poor recruitment has been a factor in United's demise and the new regime at Old Trafford have acknowledged the club's costly mistakes. Director of recruitment Christopher Vivell, 38, will lead a more streamlined scouting network, .
Vivell, who previously worked at before a brief spell with , initially arrived at United on a temporary basis, helping them navigate the 2024 . It was their summer first since became a co-owner, taking control of football operations.
German Vivell's work behind the scenes has earned him plaudits at Old Trafford and the hierarchy trust him to improve their recruitment record. That starts with a new-look scouting network.
According to the , United once had 100 scouts on the payroll which sources say led to 'years of poor transfers'. Dozens have left the club over the past 12 months, with Ratcliffe .
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A 10-man team comprising of Armand Benneker, Marco de Sisti, Roy Beukenkamp, Giuseppe Antonaccio, Ben McFarlan, Jose Mayorga, John Lambert, Norbert Duwel, Steve Head and Nicolas Cinalli are listed as first-team scouts. They'll report to Vivell, with Ratcliffe and his fellow bigwigs expecting results.
The Red Devils co-owner claimed last year that United were 'still in the last century on data analysis', a damning indictment on the previous regime led by . "The club has drifted for a long period of time, a decade or so," Ratcliffe lamented in an interview with the fanzine .
"Manchester United has become mediocre. It's not elite and it is supposed to be one of the best football clubs in the . That's what it used to be under Alex. There is major change to come to achieve elite status. But already there has been huge change at this club.
"Until were are as good as anyone in the world, then it's not good enough for . We must have the best recruitment in the world.
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Christopher Vivell
Christopher Vivell worked at RB Leipzig and Chelsea before joining Manchester United
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Image:
Getty Images)
"Data analysis comes alongside recruitment. It doesn't really exist here. We're still in the last century on data analysis here. There's immense amount of useful data that we can get from data analysis and we're in the 'very poor' bracket with data analysis here.
"These things don't happen overnight. You can't just flick a light switch and sort out recruitment. It's all about people and we need to find the right people."
Michael Sansoni, an engineer for ' team, has reportedly been lined up to join United at the end of this year he leaves his role. Given that Ratcliffe's petrochemicals company, , own a stake in Mercedes F1, the process should be smooth and would be supported internally.
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