Football news - Manchester United 'hiring spying firms' to investigate potential new signings
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Published 16/10/2019 at 08:00 GMT
Manchester United have reportedly engaged the work of “spying firms” to conduct background checks on potential signings, as they look to increase the sophistication of their recruitment process.
Man Utd Chief Executive Ed Woodward (L) gestures to Man Utd Group Managing Director Richard Arnold
Image credit: Getty Images
United’s recent record in the transfer market has been the subject of intense scrutiny with an outlay approaching £1bn over six seasons putting them no closer to challenging for a league title in the post-Alex Ferguson era.
But according to a new report from Daniel Taylor in The Athletic, United are unwilling to take any chances in terms of the players they bring to Old Trafford.
Highlighting the case of Marcos Rojo and a key missed detail around his recruitment in 2014, Taylor says Ed Woodward’s team have been ensuring they do their due diligence on potential recruits.
"Perhaps the most eye-catching detail — never reported until now — is that United have also begun to involve what have been described as “spying firms” to carry out background checks on potential signings," Taylor writes.
It’s a remarkable story: the famous Manchester United employing secret operatives to investigate the players they are trying to sign. Though it becomes easier to understand, perhaps, when you hear what happened with Marcos Rojo in 2014. Rojo cost £16 million from Sporting Lisbon, signing a five-year contract, yet United had absolutely no idea the player was being investigated by police for an alleged bottle attack on one of his neighbours, as well as a second man, in Argentina.
"Rojo was facing the possibility of a criminal trial and, if convicted, time in prison, but United knew nothing about it until a member of staff typed his name into Google. After he had signed. To their relief, Rojo settled out of court and the case was dropped.
"Due diligence is key now. The more astute clubs want as much background information as possible and, in United’s case, that is particularly important bearing in mind the staggering amounts of money they have squandered on Angel Di Maria, Radamael Falcao and Alexis Sanchez, among others."
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