Manchester United have completed the move for Ben Clarke, the highly-regarded Irishman, to head the youth recruitment setup.
According to Football Insider, Manchester United have completed an agreement to take Ben Clarke from Cardiff City to head their youth recruitment setup. The highly-regarded Irishman has built a solid reputation with the Welsh side and will now test his wits with the Premier League giants.
Ben Clarke’s work has not gone unnoticed following his successful time at Cardiff City in the Head of Academy Recruitment role at the club. Manchester United have now secured an agreement for the highly-regarded Irishman to take over a similar role at their academy.
Manchester United have been somewhat underwhelming on the pitch. But there have been signs that their youth programme was also feeling regressed. There is an air of change at the club as, further down the line, a lot of other things might see a shake-up.
Completing an agreement for Clarke is a move in the right direction, as Manchester United aim to match their rivals in the youth player development. Rivals Manchester City have become a mainstay in this aspect, while the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea are also upping their game.
🚨 JUST IN: Manchester United are set to appoint Cardiff City’s Ben Clarke to a recruitment role – focusing on bringing the best young talent to their academy! #MUFC [@SportsPeteO] pic.twitter.com/aHE0iDaMV1
— mufcmpb (@mufcMPB) October 19, 2023
Clarke will head the recruitment side for their academy, and with his expertise in unearthing several gems, the club will expect a lot from the highly-regarded Irishman. He changed his bio on his social media profile, which appeared to be the precursor to show an agreement was in place.
The highly-regarded Irishman will only join in January and will take the current period to analyse various things associated with the club’s academy. His arrival could become one of the many changes in the near future.
For instance, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is vying to take a 25% stake in the club by paying £1.3 billion. There are already indications about Paul Mitchell coming in as their sporting director; while the British Billionaire will seek to take sporting control at Old Trafford, it could mean more ramifications at many levels.
There is already talk about finding a successor to Erik ten Hag, with several names discussed in the media. Similarly, there are rumblings about wholesale changes with staff and other positions at the club, which might materialise with Sir Ratcliffe’s entry into matters.
