Manchester United have signed highly-rated scout Mark Anderson, according to reports.
According to the Daily Mail, Mark Anderson has started working with Manchester United earlier this week and will be responsible for their scouting operations in the South of England. Anderson – who was once a scout for Liverpool – was responsible for discovering the then-15 year old Raheem Sterling when he was at Queens Park Rangers.
Anderson will directly report to the head of Manchester United’s academy, Nicky Butt. Anderson was understandably pleased at the offer, adding that he felt he could make a big impact in finding young players from the London area :
“The Manchester United offer doesn’t come along every day,” he said, according to the Daily Mail. “I feel that it is the next part of my development and I feel that I can make a big impact in the London area. It goes back some time when the likes of David Beckham came out of London for United, so I want to be able to give some of the young talent another option when the time is right.”
“The [Brighton] first team are in a strong position for the Premier League and the academy have gained category one status again for the second time, so I feel I have made an impact and that I’m leaving on a high with great memories. The culture and environment is fantastic, hopefully now I can go and make a difference and take players to United.”
Anderson’s signing of Raheem Sterling was so impressive to the Liverpool hierarchy that Liverpool chief scout David Moss personally wrote him a letter thanking him, saying it made a “massive statement” on behalf of the club as Sterling was being hotly pursued by several Premier League clubs.
The news that Anderson has joined United comes just over a month after United poached two top scouts from fierce rivals Manchester City. United’s long-standing head of recruitment, Derek Langley, left the club after 16 years in July, while 5 other big-name scouts including former Ajax scout Henny de Regt have been appointed over the last year.
United have also been working with Nolan Partners who have led an ambitious recruitment drive regarding United’s youth system, resulting in the appointment of more than 40 staff at academy and first team level.