Manchester United make behind-the-scenes staff appointments

Manchester United have appointed a head of data operations as they attempt to build the best data platform in sport.

Although United were understood to be behind their Premier League rivals in the data science department, they have made a string of appointments in the last few years to make belated progress.

Dominic Jordan joined the club as director of data science last year and hires of Nick Grimshaw (senior data scientist), Alex Kleyn (decision scientist) and Chris Shumba (head of data operations) followed.

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In a recent interview, Shumba spoke to BBC Teach and explained how United want to build the best data platform in sport.

"I won't disclose too much about my average week. However, I will say that we are on a mission to build the best data platform in sport, not just football," Shumba said.

"My typical week revolves around making this a reality. I was both excited and nervous before starting. I had never worked in football before, so I had no idea what to expect. Everyone has been so warm and friendly.

"I usually don't feel like I am working because I am doing something I love. Being part of the club feels very special to me. When we think of data enablement, we think of the entire organisation.

"As a data team, we are not only there to answer questions, but also to help people answer their own questions using data. This is a more scalable approach and one with bigger impact for the organisation and industry."

He continued: "Data science enables decision makers to make better judgements using data-driven knowledge. This capability results in a data-informed organisation. When we think of data enablement, we think of the