Manchester United set to appoint former Chelsea scouting and academy guru Jim Fraser | OneFootball

Manchester United are reportedly on the brink of bringing in former Chelsea head of youth development and recruitment Jim Fraser.

United have undergone massive backroom changes since Sir Jim Ratcliffe assumed operational control of the club in February last year.

In addition to making hundreds of staff redundant, Ratcliffe has also been shaping the Red Devils’ hierarchy in an effort to ensure the best-in-class people are in the right positions.

In the initial wave of redundancies, United’s football department was mostly unaffected, but a recent report revealed that they won’t be exempt this time, with the latest round of cuts poised to slash another 200 jobs.

It was stated that director of scouting, Steve Brown, will leave his role at the end of June. Brown was offered a different role by United technical director Jason Wilcox and director of recruitment Christopher Vivell, but he decided to part ways with the club.

Now, The Sun reports that United “are ready to sign” an academy and recruitment expert – Jim Franser, who had a stint at Chelsea.

Fraser left Chelsea in July 2024 after more than 20 years at the London outfit.

He played a key role in the success of the Blues’ academy programme, which produced the likes of Mason Mount, Levi Colwill, Reece James and Conor Gallagher.

The Sun add about Fraser, “His gardening leave is ending and he looks set to join Manchester United.”

“United are in the process of cutting about 200 jobs behind the scenes and also getting rid of several scouts. But minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe sees Fraser as a key capture as they plan to sign leading young talent for the future.”

It’s understood that United’s imminent appointment of Fraser is part of Ratcliffe’s desire to discover and secure the best talents in football, rather than spend big money on already-established stars that may not necessarily come good.

United are back in action on Sunday when they face Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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