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Manchester United has appointed Ian Broomfield to a collaborative scouting role, tasked with monitoring and evaluating U21 players in the transfer market.

Ian Broomfield, who has built a reputation over more than 30 years for his ability to identify and recruit young talent, has been brought in by Man Utd to assist the club in finding players who are beginning to establish themselves at first-team level.

The Deal Ayden Heaven, who joined Man Utd from Arsenal at age 18 for a fee of £1.5 million in February 2025, is seen as a prime example of the type of player Broomfield will target.

At 75 years old, Broomfield most recently served as Tottenham's head of recruitment before leaving that position during a 2024 restructuring that prioritized data analysis. Previously, he was chief scout under manager Harry Redknapp. During his long career, Broomfield also oversaw recruitment at Leeds United and Aston Villa during David O'Leary's tenure.

In his youth, he was an academy player at Bristol City and spent time training with England youth teams. However, an Achilles tendon injury hindered his path to a professional playing career. He subsequently joined the police force as a detective before returning to football in a scouting capacity at Southampton.

Recently, Broomfield personally observed Man Utd's U21 team's defeat to Chelsea at Leigh Sports Village.

This appointment follows Connor Hunter's promotion to the role of head of academy recruitment. Hunter joined United from Everton in 2013, having held various scouting roles across age groups before taking on his current position in January.

The "Red Devils" need to find a replacement for Luke Fedorenko, who left the club to join the agency Unique Sports Group. Previously, the club came close to an agreement with Newcastle's Paul Midgley, but he decided to remain at St James' Park. Jack Chapman, Tottenham's head of academy recruitment, was also carefully considered but chose to continue working in London.

Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe invested in the club, Manchester United has accelerated the restructuring of its academy, overseen by football director Jason Wilcox. Wilcox is familiar with both Midgley and Chapman from his time working with them at Manchester City and Southampton, indicating that the rebuilding process is being carried out in a calculated and systematic manner.