Man Utd sanction three new signings after Sir Jim Ratcliffe speaks out

Manchester United are poised to bolster their data department with three new recruits following criticism from Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Michael Sansoni, the club's Director of Data who joined last summer, has been tasked with modernising the club's data infrastructure.

Our sister title The Manchester Evening News reports a senior football data scientist, a senior software engineer, and a senior football data engineer are set to be appointed. A club spokesperson stated: "We're looking for experienced, motivated people to join Michael Sansoni and his team to help set a new standard in football data.

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT

"Think APIs, machine learning, AI, web tools and streaming data pipelines, we're working on it all to drive performance on the pitch and across the whole club." The trio will be based at the club's Carrington training ground, which recently underwent a £50million refurbishment. Ratcliffe has previously expressed dissatisfaction with United's data department, and these new appointments are expected to address his concerns.

In an interview with United We Stand magazine, he said: "Until we are as good as anyone in the world, then it's not good enough for Manchester United. We must have the best recruitment in the world. Data analysis comes alongside recruitment. It doesn't really exist here.

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT

"We're still in the last century on data analysis here. There's an 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."

Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT

Stay up-to-date with the latest Man Utd news Join us on WhatsApp

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy

Sansoni also made some big claims in the summer transfer window, where he noted that "meaningful progress" was being made with "new methodologies starting to take shape and two fantastic signings, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo".

Football transfer news and rumours plus selected offers and competitions Invalid email

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy

Get More of Our News on Google

Set Daily Express as a 'Preferred Source' to get quicker access to the news you value.

He continued: "I've inherited a brilliant team: smart, committed, and hungry to make a difference and together we're building a world-class data and AI function to power decision-making across football and the wider club. The challenge is great, but so is the opportunity. We're just getting started."

Click here to read article