In February there were rumours that Jose Mourinho was going to take over as manager of Manchester United, and that Atletico Madrid's sporting director Andrea Berta would follow him and take over the football decisions in the boardroom.
That didn't quite materialise (although Mourinho did take over) with Ed Woodward continuing his work behind the scenes, as Berta reportedly chose to stay on with Atleti, but another member of the Madrid club's staff has made the switch to Manchester United and it could be very good news for the fans.
AS are today reporting that Atletico Madrid scout Gerardo Guzman will become Manchester United's chief scout for La Liga and Spain.
United are going to sign ex-Atletico Madrid scout, Gerardo Guzman, as the new academy scout for Spain. [as] pic.twitter.com/QEGgKk0uAT
— Man Utd Stuff (@ManUtdStuff) August 30, 2016
Guzman has worked with Atletico for some time and is credited with the discovery of Atletico Madrid academy graduates David De Gea, Koke, Alvaro Morata, Saul Niguez, and Oliver Torres in recent times. It is believed that the acquisition of Gerardo Guzman is a part of the ground-up overhaul at Manchester United which is being lead by Nicky Butt and Nick Cox.
Details on Guzman's reputation and previous history are scarce for non-Spanish speakers, so we did what Sky Sports would do in this situation and had a gander at his stats on the Football Manager.
That 18 adaptability will no doubt make his transition to working with a Premier League club a breeze, and while more may have been expected in terms of his judging player ability and player potential, 15 is not too shabby and you rarely see both attributes so high.
Plus he's only 39 so he's got plenty of room to grow, much like the players he will be recommending to Manchester United.
So, in summary, great news for Man United fans as one of the best scouts in Spain is now representing your team, and also great news for Man United fans who play Football Manager as you don't need to sign a Spanish scout.
