Manchester United make new academy appointment to scout 'high-potential talent'

Manchester United have appointed Sam Williams as their new lead scout focusing on spotting players aged between 17 and 21 as part of their overhaul to academy scouting.

Williams will lead on the recruitment of what United describe as "high-potential talent", with the aim of those players joining the club's development programme. He joins the club from Championship side Ipswich Town, where he has been working as the club's head of recruitment, most recently under former United coach Kieran McKenna, who is now the club's manager.

The appointment has been led by United's director of academy Nick Cox and director of scouting Steve Brown and is part of a series of changes that have been made in the scouting department within the academy dating back to last year.

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The overhaul of scouting at academy level is something Cox and Brown have been working on for a while and pre-dates the Ineos' investment into United.

Williams, 36, is returning to United having been a first-team recruitment analyst and academy scout between November 2017 and April 2022, at which point he left to take up the role at Portman Road.

He has also previously held academy recruitment roles at Sheffield Wednesday and Bolton Wanderers. United see the appointment of someone well-versed in academy football but with experience as head of recruitment at a Championship club as a coup.