The hacking Manchester United's computer system has thrown it's scouting operation into chaos.
The Mirror says it's feared confidential material regarding player targets and on-going scouting missions may have been compromised in the sophisticated and malicious attack which crippled their IT system over a week ago.
United have revealed investigations are still on going by forensic cyber experts to discover what, if any, sensitive material the hackers may have harvested during their operation.
It's been widely reported the cyber criminals have demanded a multi-million pound 'ransom' from United to prevent confidential information being leaked but club officials refuse to confirm they are victims of ransomware.
But it's clear United are still reeling at the disruption caused by the hackers with the club's entire e mail system still disabled more than week after the breach.
That's impacted United's global scouting operation with the January transfer window just weeks away and advanced planning underway for player activity next summer.
Like all top clubs, United operate a bespoke online scouting system based around analysis data and video. It's believed that system is now part of the forensic investigation taking place.