Manchester United’s rebuild under INEOS isn’t just about fixing what happens on the pitch.
It’s a top-to-bottom overhaul aimed at modernising every aspect of the club and allowing the club to be run efficiently again after years of sporting failure.
To compete at the highest level again, United know they need to improve in all areas: coaching, recruitment, sports science, and data.
With the data department being overlooked at United for too long, leading to poor recruitment over a number of years.
However, United have recently announced the acquisition of a director of data, Mike Sansoni.
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Though only recently announced to the public, Sansoni has been working at United since April as the club’s new Director of Data.
He reports directly to CEO Omar Berrada and has been tasked with a significant challenge: turning Manchester United into a data-led organisation capable of making smarter, faster decisions across all departments.
It’s a big role, but Sansoni arrives with serious credentials from previous jobs, although not where you might imagine.
He spent 11 years at the Mercedes F1 team, most recently as a senior performance engineer where he helped deliver eight Constructors’ Championships.
Now, he’s attempting bringing that expertise to football.
Applying Formula One analytics to football might sound like a reach, but it’s quickly becoming the norm.
Clubs like Brighton, Brentford and even Bournemouth have built a competitive edge by using data to outsmart bigger, richer rivals.
United, for all their history and resources, have lagged behind and Sansoni is here to try and close that gap.
And according to him, that process is already underway.
In a recent message on LinkedIn, he revealed that United’s recent signings of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha were shaped, in part, by the new data methodologies being implemented behind the scenes.
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While recruitment is only one part of his role, it’s a clear sign of the early influence he’s having.
United themselves say Sansoni has been brought in to “transform the club’s capabilities in data and artificial intelligence”, with further recruitment to follow in software development, platform engineering and analytics.
Importantly, Sansoni isn’t starting from scratch and United are hiring talented individuals to help him.
He says he’s inherited a “brilliant team” – smart, committed and eager to drive change.
His job now is to turn that into a department capable of making informed decisions on everything from squad planning and injury prevention to match preparation and long-term strategy.
More roles are already being advertised as the club looks to expand its data and AI operations.
It’s too early to say what impact this will have on results, but for a club that has often seemed slow to adapt to the modern game, the appointment of Sansoni is a bold step in the right direction.
Manchester United are finally looking to act like a 21st-century club and if they get this right, Mike Sansoni’s impact could prove just as important as any big-money signing this summer
