Manchester United Appoint Kyle Macaulay as Head of Senior Scouting in Recruitment Restructure

By: Shawn
‎Manchester United have appointed Kyle Macaulay as the club’s new head of senior scouting, strengthening a recruitment structure that has been reshaped throughout the year. The 39-year-old joins Old Trafford with experience across Brighton, Chelsea and West Ham United, following a career built on analysis, data usage and extensive scouting networks.
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‎Manchester United appoint Kyle Macaulay (right) as head of senior scouting, strengthening the club’s recruitment structure and global scouting operations.
‎Athena Pictures/Getty Images
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‎Manchester United began searching for a senior scouting lead in July, with the process aimed at adding a key figure to support transfer operations. Macaulay becomes the preferred choice after the club assessed multiple candidates, including former Valenciennes sporting director Ben Chorley, who currently heads UK scouting at Southampton.
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‎Macaulay will work under Christopher Vivell, Manchester United’s director of recruitment, and oversee the global scouting network. Vivell and Macaulay previously collaborated at Chelsea between 2022 and 2023, when Vivell held the role of technical director and Macaulay led the club’s scouting department. Jason Wilcox continues to head the wider sporting structure as director of football.
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‎Macaulay became available following his departure from West Ham United in October. His reputation across previous clubs has been shaped by the combination of data-led analysis and strong industry connections. Both Chelsea and West Ham made attempts to retain him before his exit.
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‎Macaulay’s pathway through professional football has frequently aligned with manager Graham Potter, beginning at Ostersunds in 2012. He spent six years as chief analyst during the club’s progression from Sweden’s fourth tier to the Europa League knockout rounds. He later followed Potter to Swansea City in 2018 as chief scout and then to Brighton in 2019 as head of scouting, contributing during periods that saw the arrivals of Leandro Trossard, Moises Caicedo, Kaoru Mitoma, Marc Cucurella and Danny Welbeck.
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‎Macaulay moved to Chelsea in 2022 and continued in an analyst role under head coaches Mauricio Pochettino and Enzo Maresca after Potter’s departure. He reunited with Potter at West Ham in January 2025 and remained until leaving in October following changes in the coaching setup.

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