Peter Kenyon has been appointed head of the sports division of Hollywood agency CAA. The ex-Chelsea chief executive has been top dog at Manchester United and will now represent a clutch of the world's most famous athletes, including basketball superstar LeBron James, American football quarterback Peyton Manning, and British tennis sensation Andy Murray.

"After 14 years running the two most successful clubs [in England], I decided that I wanted to move on," Kenyon told the Financial Times.

"CAA has clearly demonstrated that it is the best in the industry."

The co-head of CAA, Howard Nuchow, added: "We didn't look at him as the president of a soccer club - he's been brand-building for a long time."

It is expected that Kenyon will look to add to a client roster that already includes Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham and Jose Mourinho.