Manchester United have appointed Christopher Vivell as the club’s director of recruitment permanently following an interim spell in the same position, David Ornstein reveals.
The Athletic reporter states Vivell has “put pen to paper on a multi-year contract” after initially joining the executive structure at Old Trafford in July 2024.
Permanent Appointment
The 38-year-old German’s new deal will see him earn less than his original contract with Ornstein contending this “underlines his desire and commitment to occupy a key role in the INEOS-led rebuild of United over a prolonged period.”
🚨 Man Utd make Christopher Vivell permanent director of recruitment. 38yo signs multi-year deal on reduced wage; underlines desire to play key role at #MUFC over longer term. Will lead global recruitment, scouting structure, emerging talent @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/5myE5TtBDP
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) February 25, 2025
Tweet: “Man Utd make Christopher Vivell permanent director of recruitment. 38yo signs multi-year deal on reduced wage; underlines desire to play key role at #MUFC over longer term. Will lead global recruitment, scouting structure, emerging talent @TheAthleticFC.”
Vivell will report directly to technical director Jason Wilcox who has taken on “greater responsibility” at Old Trafford in the wake of Dan Ashworth’s departure in December.
Ornstein reports the executive will “lead United’s global recruitment operation, scouting structure and emerging talent”.
He has previous experience at Chelsea and RB Leipzig in a similar capacity as a recruitment lead.
INEOS have implemented a range of cost-cutting measures in their first twelve months at the helm at Old Trafford, including a wide range of redundancies.
The scouting department is one area of the club targeted for job cuts in the next wave, though the Athletic reports the club “declined to comment as they are in a formal legal redundancy process.”
The permanent appointment of Vivell “forms part of a wider overhaul of the club’s football structure, which United say is aimed at creating a more lean, agile and efficient set-up”.
The German executive was believed to be instrumental in United’s acquisition of Mali starlet Sekou Koné, who has emerged as a first-team option for Ruben Amorim in recent weeks due to the club’s injury crisis.
United will be hoping Vivell can unearth more diamonds in the rough with the club’s finances set to be stretched to their limit to this summer due to an unrelenting series of recruitment mistakes by the 38-year-old’s predecessors.
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
