Manchester United’s recruitment team has improved tenfold over the past few years, and now Ineos have added Kyle Macaulay to this group.
The Red Devils have come a long way from Ed Woodward running the show, and now the ever-improving Manchester United recruitment department has added Kyle Macaulay.
United are set to appoint Macaulay as the new head of senior scouting, which is a position high up within the ranks at Old Trafford.
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This will see Macaulay report to United’s head of recruitment, Christopher Vivell, which is a very strong pairing with a talent for identifying wonderkids.
Vivell was involved in the signing of some top talents for the Red Bull Group, but what deals has Macaulay had his hands involved in for his previous clubs?
Moises Caicedo and Kaoru Mitoma hug for Brighton.
Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images
Moises Caicedo
First and foremost on this list has to be Moises Caicedo, whom Macaulay helped Brighton scout and then sign for £4m.
United actually missed the chance to sign Caicedo for £4m, but if Macaulay had been at the club back then, perhaps this deal would have been struck.
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Caicedo went on to make Brighton potentially over £100m in profit, not a bad move.
Jan Paul van Hecke
One signing which has panned out long-term for Brighton was the arrival of Jan Paul van Hecke for around £3m.
While not settling in right away, Van Hecke is a key player for the Seagulls right now, five years after his arrival.
Van Hecke also won Brighton’s player of the year award for 2024/25 and looks likely to go on and become a hero for Brighton over his career, with no transfer in sight.
Danny Welbeck
Next up is a familiar name for United fans, Danny Welbeck, who Macaulay’s scouting decided was deserving of a chance, and he has repaid this faith tenfold.
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United should never have sold Welbeck, and he has been a thorn in the side of the club in subsequent meetings.
Not many would have looked at Welbeck in 2020 and thought he was worth a go; Brighton did.
Marc Cucurella
Another player Macaulay would have been involved in scouting was Marc Cucurella, and like Caicedo, he later went on to earn the club big money after a move to Chelsea.
Cucurella only cost around £16m from Getafe, and after an incredible campaign, he joined Chelsea for over £60m.
Another prime example of excellent scouting at its best.
Kaoru Mitoma
Brighton signed Kaoru Mitoma in 2021 for just £2.6m as an unheard-of prospect from Japan, but he’d soon be among the Premier League’s most recognised wingers.
Hailed for his dribbling, Mitoma has been linked with big-money moves to United, and while he has fallen off slightly for Brighton this season, his talent is still there.
Mitoma will be considered among the most shrewd signings of Macaulay’s time at Brighton, and it must have involved plenty of scouting.