Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly set to raid the Mercedes F1 team for data analyst Michael Sansoni, as his behind-the-scenes rebuild continues.
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United chasing Mercedes data expertAdvanced talks taking placeRatcliffe rebuild continuesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
According to the Daily Mail, the Red Devils are looking to "turbo-charge the data analysis set-up at the club", and key figures are now looking towards Formula One for reinforcements. Sansoni's work within the sport as a senior performance simulation engineer has attracted their attention, and reports suggest that a senior data position at Old Trafford is on the horizon for the Mercedes man.
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Data analysis is just one of several areas of the Manchester United operation that have been criticised by Ratcliffe since he joined as minority owner. Last year, he claimed "we've not been good enough at recruitment" and "we’re still in the last century on data analysis" while behind the scenes he's been directing a series of brutal mass firings that have reportedly "left children in tears".
WHAT RATCLIFFE SAID
Speaking to the Manchester United fanzine United We Stand, Ratcliffe recently spoke about the club's data department, saying "Until we're 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. We're still in the last century on data analysis here. There's 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."
Getty WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?
Sansoni alone won't be able to turn around United's faltering data analysis department, so it's likely that more backroom appointments will be made in the coming months as Ratcliffe attempts to claw back United's status as one of England's greatest clubs. His rebuild has generated lots of attention but very few results so far, and time is running out for Amorim to salvage something positive from a disastrous 2024/25 campaign.
