Manchester United’s top scouts, Jim Lawlor and Marcel Bout have both departed the club. They have reportedly left Old Trafford with immediate effect, according to an exclusive report by The Athletic.
Lawlor joined United in 2005 under Sir Alex Ferguson, while Bout has been with the club since the arrival of Louis van Gaal in 2014.
Over the last few seasons, United’s recruitment has been criticized, with players such as Memphis Depay, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Jadon Sancho all struggling to adjust to life at the club.
Former United head scout Lawlor was given the chief scout role in 2014. For 16 years, he has been in charge of United’s scouting, during which time the squad has had a poor recruiting record.
Marcel Bout began his career as a coach under Louis van Gaal. Many people were not happy with the choice to keep Bout as a scout because he worked for the club while Van Gaal made 13 signings, all of which were heavily criticized.
Sergio Romero was the most successful recruit under the Dutchman’s tenure, and it wouldn’t be far off the mark to say he was the most successful. As a result, we don’t believe he will be missed. We can also anticipate a fresh chapter under Erik ten Hag.
According to reports, John Murtough is in charge of football operations at Old Trafford, with Richard Arnold focusing on business matters and bridging the gap between football and the Glazer family.
A lot has to happen at United, and we are still not convinced to have the appropriate owners in place to address the current on-field issues.
We must not overlook the fact that the stadium also needs changes. The Glazers are already being under the radar of the fans as Manchester United continues to fall further behind the top clubs in recent years.
