- Man United are reportedly ready to sign an ex-Chelsea scout who was axed
- The former Blues talent spotter spent 20 years at the club before being let go
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Manchester United are set to land a former Chelsea scout who was axed by the west London club last year, according to reports.
United are on pace to suffer their worst Premier League finish in history, making their low of eighth place – achieved under Erik ten Hag last season – look more acceptable by the day.
Ruben Amorim’s strugglers sit 15th in the table, just three points ahead of West Ham in 17th. Elsewhere, they were knocked out of the EFL Cup in the quarter-final by Tottenham and eliminated in the FA Cup by Fulham in the fifth round.
Amid a miserable season at Old Trafford, fans and pundits alike have launched an inquest into why United’s net spend of over £500million in the last five years has still led to them being ‘maybe the worst team in the history’ of the club – to use Amorim’s own words.
The common narrative is that United’s players are not at the standard needed to reinstate them as Champions League hopefuls, let alone Premier League title-challengers, as was once the expectation at the club.
In a bid to solve their personnel issues, United are now ready to sign talent-spotting veteran Jim Fraser, who was let go by Chelsea last year, according to The Sun.
Manchester United are reportedly set to sign former veteran Chelsea scout Jim Fraser
The reputable talent-spotter spent 20 years at Stamford Bridge before being let go last year
United have endured one of their worst seasons in history, with many arguing the lack of quality in their squad is to blame
Fraser discovered many young talents for Chelsea, including Mason Mount, with whom he would be reunited at Old Trafford.
As well as Mount, the former academy chief found the likes of Conor Gallagher, Reece James, Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi, to name a few.
Other hot prospects who turned into stars include Levi Colwill, Marc Guehi and Dominic Solanke.
Reports around Fraser’s potential hiring come after 200 further members of staff at United discovered they are in danger of being axed, as revealed by Mail Sport last week.
A total of 450 employees – more than a third of the original workforce – have lost their jobs since Sir Jim Ratcliffe took over the day-to-day running of the club last year.
Ratcliffe warned last month that United were in danger of going bust by Christmas if he did not take action to stop the club losing money.
The scouting department has been hit particularly hard, and last month it emerged director of scouting Steve Brown is leaving after nine years at United.
However, Fraser’s reputation as one of the league’s most trusted talent-spotters has seemingly seen him dodge the misfortunes of Ratcliffe’s cost-cutting measures.
Reports around Fraser’s potential hiring come after 200 further members of staff at United discovered they are in danger of being axed
Fraser scouted the likes of Mason Mount while he was at Chelsea, as well as the like of Dominic Solanke, Marc Guehi and Reece James
As for United’s immediate transfer plans, Mail Sport understands they are still working to bring Matheus Cunha to Old Trafford and hope to agree on personal terms.
United will still need to activate the Brazilian’s £62.5m release clause but are hopeful of having terms in place later this month month while they still have headroom under Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Amorim has made no secret of his admiration for Cunha, praising his versatility and goalscoring output.
The Portuguese boss was also spotted in conversation with Cunha after United and Wolves met at Molineux and again in the tunnel at Old Trafford a couple of weeks ago.
