Manchester United's backroom shuffle has reportedly taken another step forward with the acquisition of a highly-rated Championship scout.
Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe's minority purchase was ratified by the Premier League over the festive period, the INEOS founder has overseen significant changes to the Red Devils' upstairs department.
Omar Berrada has been instilled as the club's new CEO, and the Red Devils recently announced that former Manchester City and Southampton man Jason Wilcox had joined as a technical director.
Furthermore, the process to hire Dan Ashworth from Newcastle United as their new sporting director is ongoing, after John Murtough was confirmed to be stepping down from his position earlier this month.
Now, The Sun claims that Ipswich Town chief scout Sam Williams will be the next man to assume office at Old Trafford, returning to the club he originally left in the spring of 2022.
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Williams to start work in May
Man United are said to have struck a deal with their Championship counterparts to hire the 36-year-old, who will officially start work at the Theatre of Dreams in May.
Ipswich have supposedly already placed Williams on gardening leave, and the Englishman will be appointed lead scout for the Red Devils' academy team, reporting to head of youth recruitment Luke Fedorenko.
This season, two of Manchester United's academy talents have thrived under Erik ten Hag's wing, with Alejandro Garnacho becoming a nailed-on starter in the final third.
The former Atletico Madrid product, who left the La Liga giants to join Man United in 2020, boasts nine goals and four assists from 42 games for the Red Devils this season, including seven goals in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Kobbie Mainoo has been heralded as the next big thing in the Red Devils midfield, and the 2005-born midfielder is also being tipped to force his way into England's Euro 2024 squad after making his Three Lions debut last month.
Who is Man United's new youth chief Sam Williams?
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As Mainoo and Garnacho leave the world of academy football behind, Williams will be tasked with overseeing the newest generation of Man United talents and unearthing players with high potential to join the club's ranks.
The 36-year-old previously served as a youth scout for both Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield United, holding those roles alongside his position as a match analyst for the Man United youth squads from 2017 to 2018.
Williams subsequently spent four years as a video analyst for Man United's first team, where he assisted Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Michael Carrick before leaving for Ipswich in April 2022.
As the Tractor Boys' chief scout, Williams helped to facilitate the loan arrivals of Brandon Williams (Man United), Omari Hutchinson (Chelsea) and Kieffer Moore (Bournemouth), as well as the signing of ex-Red Devils defender Axel Tuanzebe on a free transfer.
Ipswich, who were only promoted back to the Championship last season, are remarkably on course for back-to-back promotions and a Premier League return, sitting second in the table with just three games remaining.
Ben Knapton
